A numerical study of boundary-layer dynamics in a mountain valley

The characteristics of dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer in a part of the Colorado River Valley, centered around Lake Mohave, have been investigated by analysis of measurements conducted during a field program in late spring and early summer of 1986 and a series of numerical simulations by a three-dimensional second-moment turbulence-closure model. The model was validated against measurements described in a companion article (Engeret al., 1993). According to airsonde measurements performed on eight nights, the depth of the surface inversion was around 200 m with an average temperature gradient of about 30 K km^–1. Analysis of acoustic sounder data collected during one month revealed significant diurnal variations ofU andV wind-speed components related to slope and valley flows, respectively. Some of the dynamics properties have been explained by the simulation results. It has been shown that the appearance of supergeostrophic southerly valley flow is associated with the westerly component of the geostrophic flow. Since a westerly component of the geostrophic wind is quite common for this area in summer, this effect also explains the frequently observed southerly valley flow in summer. Elevated minima of the measured wind speed around valley ridges appear to be related to the interaction of conservation of momentum in theX andY directions. The critical direction of the geostrophic wind relevant for reversal of up-valley flow to down-valley flow has also been studied. The critical direction is about 300° for one of the measurement sites and, depending on the angle between valley axis and south-north direction, the critical direction is expected to vary by about 15–20°. The scale analysis of the simulated equations of motion and turbulence kinetic energy emphasizes the strong impact of meandering of the flow due to actual topographic complexity.