scholarly journals A Simplified Model for Intermittent Turbulence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 1714-1729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe D. Costa ◽  
Otávio C. Acevedo ◽  
José C. M. Mombach ◽  
Gervásio A. Degrazia
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Intermittent Turbulence ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Stability Functions ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Local Shear ◽  
Complex Solutions

Abstract A model for the exchange between the surface and the atmosphere under stable conditions is proposed. It is based on the classical scheme first suggested by Blackadar and comprises prognostic equations for the wind components and air and ground temperature. The main difference from previous works consists in the fact that the turbulent intensity is determined by a prognostic equation for turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), rather than by using stability functions that arbitrarily relate it to atmospheric stability. Results show that the model reproduces the condition of connection and disconnection between the surface and upper levels. Furthermore, it leads to periodic turbulence bursts when one level within the stable boundary layer (SBL) is considered and the use of additional levels increasingly leads to more complex solutions, characterizing the occurrence of global intermittency. Such turbulence bursts occur in the disconnected state and cause large fluctuations of the variables near the surface. The boundary layer height plays a role in the sense that for the same geostrophic winds, connection is favored for shallower layers. Although playing a role in the intermittency characteristics, soil type is not determinant to their existence, as the bursts occur even for very high values of heat capacity. Vertical profiles for both the intermittent and connected state are analyzed and in general agree with observations. It is shown that, near the surface, weak turbulence bursts favor the exchange between the air and the cooler ground, leading to a local temperature decrease, while stronger events that mix the air deeper in the SBL cause an average warming tendency. An opposite pattern occurs at the upper SBL. Intermittency is favored over a range of low geostrophic winds and clear skies, in agreement with previous suggestions. The vertical structure of the intermittent events is analyzed, and it shown that they are generated at the surface by a local shear increase above a threshold, propagating upward through the turbulence transfer term in the TKE equation. It is proposed that such events constitute a natural characteristic of the disconnected SBL, which occurs along with low large-scale winds and clear skies.

Evaluation of Boundary Layer Similarity Theory for Stable Conditions in CASES-99

2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (10) ◽  
pp. 3474-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Ja Ha ◽  
Yu-Kyung Hyun ◽  
Hyun-Mi Oh ◽  
Kyung-Eak Kim ◽  
Larry Mahrt
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Similarity Theory ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Strong Stability ◽  
Surface Exchange ◽  
Stability Functions ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Mean Wind Speed ◽  
Strong Winds

Abstract The Monin–Obukhov similarity theory and a generalized formulation of the mixing length for the stable boundary layer are evaluated using the Cooperative Atmosphere–Surface Exchange Study-1999 (CASES-99) data. The large-scale wind forcing is classified into weak, intermediate, and strong winds. Although the stability parameter, z/L, is inversely dependent on the mean wind speed, the speed of the large-scale flow includes independent influences on the flux–gradient relationship. The dimensionless mean wind shear is found to obey existing stability functions when z/L is less than unity, particularly for the strong and intermediate wind classes. For weak mean winds and/or strong stability (z/L > 1), this similarity theory breaks down. Deviations from similarity theory are examined in terms of intermittency. A case study of a weak-wind night indicates important modulation of the turbulence flux by mesoscale motions of unknown origin.

scholarly journals Response of Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Properties to Aerosol Perturbations Associated with Meteorological Conditions from the 19-Month AMF-Azores Campaign

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 4253-4268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianjun Liu ◽  
Zhanqing Li ◽  
Maureen Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Cloud Droplet ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Stable Conditions

Abstract This study investigates the response of marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud properties to aerosol loading by accounting for the contributions of large-scale dynamic and thermodynamic conditions and quantifies the first indirect effect (FIE). It makes use of 19-month measurements of aerosols, clouds, and meteorology acquired during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility field campaign over the Azores. Cloud droplet number concentrations and cloud optical depth (COD) significantly increased with increasing aerosol number concentration . Cloud droplet effective radius (DER) significantly decreased with increasing . The correlations between cloud microphysical properties [, liquid water path (LWP), and DER] and were stronger under more stable conditions. The correlations between , LWP, DER, and were stronger under ascending-motion conditions, while the correlation between COD and was stronger under descending-motion conditions. The magnitude and corresponding uncertainty of the FIE ranged from 0.060 ± 0.022 to 0.101 ± 0.006 depending on the different LWP values. Under more stable conditions, cloud-base heights were generally lower than those under less stable conditions. This enabled a more effective interaction with aerosols, resulting in a larger value for the FIE. However, the dependence of the response of cloud properties to aerosol perturbations on stability varied according to whether ground- or satellite-based DER retrievals were used. The magnitude of the FIE had a larger variation with changing LWP under ascending-motion conditions and tended to be higher under ascending-motion conditions for clouds with low LWP and under descending-motion conditions for clouds with high LWP. A contrasting dependence of FIE on atmospheric stability estimated from the surface and satellite cloud properties retrievals reported in this study underscores the importance of assessing all-level properties of clouds in aerosol–cloud interaction studies.

scholarly journals Identifying persistent temperature inversion events in a subalpine basin using radon-222

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 4455-4477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dafina Kikaj ◽  
Janja Vaupotič ◽  
Scott D. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Temperature Inversion ◽  
Relative Magnitude ◽  
World Health ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Intermittent Turbulence ◽  
Stable Conditions

Abstract. One year of meteorological and atmospheric radon observations in a topographically complex subalpine basin are used to identify persistent temperature inversion (PTI) events. PTI events play a key role in public health due to the accumulation of urban pollutants that they cause. Two techniques are compared: a new radon-based method (RBM), based on single-height 222Rn measurements from a single centrally located station, and an existing pseudo-vertical temperature gradient method (TGM) based on observations from eight weather stations around the subalpine basin. The RBM identified six PTI events (four in winter, two in autumn), a subset of the 17 events identified by the TGM. The RBM was more consistent in its identification of PTI events for all seasons and more selective of persistent strongly stable conditions. The comparatively poor performance of the TGM was attributed to seasonal inconsistencies in the validity of the method's key assumptions (influenced by mesoscale processes, such as local drainage flows, nocturnal jets, and intermittent turbulence influence) and a lack of snow cover in the basin for the 2016–2017 winter period. Corresponding meteorological quantities for RBM PTI events (constituting 27 % of the autumn–winter cold season) were well characterized. PTI wind speeds in the basin were consistently low over the whole diurnal cycle (typically 0.2–0.6 m s−1). Suitability of the two techniques for air quality assessment was compared using hourly PM10 observations. Peak PM10 concentrations for winter (autumn) PTI events were underestimated by 13 µg m−3 (11 µg m−3) by the TGM compared with the RBM. Only the RBM indicated that nocturnal hourly mean PM10 values in winter PTI events can exceed 100 µg m−3, the upper threshold of low-level short-term PM10 exposure according to World Health Organization guidelines. The efficacy, simplicity, and cost effectiveness of the RBM for identifying PTI events has the potential to make it a powerful tool for urban air quality management in complex terrain regions, for which it adds an additional dimension to contemporary atmospheric stability classification tools. Furthermore, the long-term consistency of the radon source function will enable the RBM to be used in the same way in future studies, enabling the relative magnitude of PTI events to be gauged, which is expected to assist with the assessment of public health risks.

scholarly journals Evaluating and Improving the Impact of the Atmospheric Stability and Orography on Surface Winds in the WRF Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (7) ◽  
pp. 2685-2693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Lorente-Plazas ◽  
Pedro A. Jiménez ◽  
Jimy Dudhia ◽  
Juan P. Montávez
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Momentum Equation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Surface Winds ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Simulated Surface ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study assesses the impact of the atmospheric stability on the turbulent orographic form drag (TOFD) generated by unresolved small-scale orography (SSO) focusing on surface winds. With this aim, several experiments are conducted with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and they are evaluated over a large number of stations (318 at 2-m height) in the Iberian Peninsula with a year of data. In WRF, Jiménez and Dudhia resolved the SSO by including a factor in the momentum equation, which is a function of the orographic variability inside a grid cell. It is found that this scheme can improve the simulated surface winds, especially at night, but it can underestimate the winds during daytime. This suggests that TOFD can be dependent on the PBL’s stability. To inspect and overcome this limitation, the stability conditions are included in the SSO parameterization to maintain the intensity of the drag during stable conditions while attenuating it during unstable conditions. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the inclusion of stability effects on the SSO drag parameterization improves the simulated surface winds at diurnal, monthly, and annual scales by reducing the systematic daytime underestimation of the original scheme. The correction is especially beneficial when both the convective velocity and the boundary layer height are used to characterize the unstable conditions.

scholarly journals Estimating the atmospheric boundary layer height over sloped, forested terrain from surface spectral analysis during BEARPEX

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 25759-25801 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Choi ◽  
I. C. Faloona ◽  
M. McKay ◽  
A. H. Goldstein ◽  
B. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Nocturnal Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Stable Conditions

Abstract. In this study the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height (zi) over complex, forested terrain is estimated based on the power spectra and the integral length scale of horizontal winds obtained from a three-axis sonic anemometer during the BEARPEX (Biosphere Effects on Aerosol and Photochemistry) Experiment. The zi values estimated with this technique showed very good agreement with observations obtained from balloon tether sonde (2007) and rawinsonde (2009) measurements under unstable conditions (z/L < 0) at the coniferous forest in the California Sierra Nevada. The behavior of the nocturnal boundary layer height (h) and power spectra of lateral winds and temperature under stable conditions (z/L > 0) is also presented. The nocturnal boundary layer height is found to be fairly well predicted by a recent interpolation formula proposed by Zilitinkevich et al. (2007), although it was observed to only vary from 60–80 m during the experiment. Finally, significant directional wind shear was observed during both day and night with winds backing from the prevailing west-southwesterlies in the ABL (anabatic cross-valley circulation) to consistent southerlies in a layer ~1 km thick just above the ABL before veering to the prevailing westerlies further aloft. We show that this is consistent with the forcing of a thermal wind driven by the regional temperature gradient directed due east in the lower troposphere.

Evolution of Turbulence in the Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability mediated by the Magnetopause and its Boundary Layer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Di Mare ◽  
Luca Sorriso-Valvo ◽  
Alessandro Retino' ◽  
Francesco Malara ◽  
Hiroshi Hasegawa
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Velocity Shear ◽  
Helmholtz Instability ◽  
Intermittent Turbulence ◽  
Large Scale Structures ◽  
Developed Turbulence ◽  
Spacecraft Data ◽  
Efficient Transfer

&lt;p&gt;The turbulence at the interface between the solar wind and the Earth&amp;#8217;s magnetosphere, mediated by the magnetopause and its boundary layer are investigated by using Geotail and THEMIS spacecraft data during ongoing Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). The efficient transfer of energy across scales for which the turbulence is responsible, achieves the connection between the macroscopic flow and the microscopic dissipation of this energy. This boundary layer is thought to be the result of the observed plasma transfer, driven by the development of the KHI, originating from the velocity shear between the solar wind and the almost static near-Earth plasma. A collection of 20 events spatially located on the tail-flank magnetopause, selected from previously studied by Hasegawa et al. 2006 and Lin et al. 2014, have been tested against standard diagnostics for intermittent turbulence. In light of the results obtained, we have investigated the behaviour of several parameters as a function of the progressive departure along the Geocentric Solar Magnetosphere coordinates, which roughly represent the direction in which we expect the KHI vortices to evolve towards fully developed turbulence. It appears that a fluctuating behaviour of the parameters exist, visible as a decreasing, quasi-periodic modulation with an associated periodicity, estimated to correspond to approximately 6.4 Earth Radii. Such observed wavelength is consistent with the estimated vortices roll-up wavelength reported in the literature for these events. If the turbulence is pre-existent, it is possible that the KHI modulates its properties along the magnetosheath, as we observed. On the other hand, if we assume that the KHI has been initiated near the magnetospheric nose and develops along the flanks, then the different intervals we study may be sampling the plasma at different stages of evolution of the KH-generated turbulence, after the instability has injected energy in a cascading process as large-scale structures.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Including Atmospheric Layers in Vegetation and Urban Offline Surface Schemes

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1377-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéry Masson ◽  
Yann Seity
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Surface Scheme

Abstract A formulation to include prognostic atmospheric layers in offline surface schemes is derived from atmospheric equations. Whereas multilayer schemes developed previously need a complex coupling between atmospheric-model levels and surface-scheme levels, the coupling proposed here remains simple. This is possible because the atmospheric layers interacting with the surface scheme are independent of the atmospheric model that could be coupled above. The surface boundary layer (SBL; both inside and just above the canopy) is resolved prognostically, taking into account large-scale forcing, turbulence, and, if any, drag and canopy forces and surface fluxes. This formulation allows one to retrieve the logarithmic law in neutral conditions, and it has been validated when coupled to a 3D atmospheric model. Systematic comparisons with 2-m observations and 10-m wind have been made for 2 months. The SBL scheme is able to model the 2-m temperature accurately, as well as the 10-m wind, without any use of analytical interpolation. The largest improvement takes place during stable conditions (i.e., by night), during which analytical laws and interpolation methods are known to be less accurate, and in mountainous areas, in which nocturnal low-level flow is strongly influenced by surface cooling. The prognostic SBL scheme is shown to solve the nighttime physical disconnection problem between surface and atmosphere models. The inclusion of the SBL into the urban Town Energy Balance scheme is presented in a paper by Hamdi and Masson in which the ability of the method to simulate the profiles of both mean and turbulent quantities from above the building down to the road surface is shown using data from the Basel Urban Boundary Layer Experiment (BUBBLE). The proposed method will allow the inclusion of the detailed physics of the multilayer schemes (e.g., the interactions of the SBL flow with forest or urban canopy) into a single-layer scheme that is easily coupled with atmospheric models.

Turbulence Regimes and Turbulence Intermittency in the Stable Boundary Layer during CASES-99

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jielun Sun ◽  
Larry Mahrt ◽  
Robert M. Banta ◽  
Yelena L. Pichugina
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Weak Turbulence ◽  
Intermittent Turbulence ◽  
Surface Exchange ◽  
Turbulence Intermittency ◽  
Turbulence Regime ◽  
Local Shear ◽  
Turbulence Generation

Abstract An investigation of nocturnal intermittent turbulence during the Cooperative Atmosphere–Surface Exchange Study in 1999 (CASES-99) revealed three turbulence regimes at each observation height: 1) regime 1, a weak turbulence regime when the wind speed is less than a threshold value; 2) regime 2, a strong turbulence regime when the wind speed exceeds the threshold value; and 3) regime 3, a moderate turbulence regime when top-down turbulence sporadically bursts into the otherwise weak turbulence regime. For regime 1, the strength of small turbulence eddies is correlated with local shear and weakly related to local stratification. For regime 2, the turbulence strength increases systematically with wind speed as a result of turbulence generation by the bulk shear, which scales with the observation height. The threshold wind speed marks the transition above which the boundary layer approaches near-neutral conditions, where the turbulent mixing substantially reduces the stratification and temperature fluctuations. The preference of the turbulence regimes during CASES-99 is closely related to the existence and the strength of low-level jets. Because of the different roles of the bulk and local shear with regard to turbulence generation under different wind conditions, the relationship between turbulence strength and the local gradient Richardson number varies for the different turbulence regimes. Turbulence intermittency at any observation height was categorized in three ways: turbulence magnitude oscillations between regimes 1 and 2 as wind speed varies back and forth across its threshold value, episodic turbulence enhancements within regime 1 as a result of local instability, and downbursts of turbulence in regime 3.

scholarly journals Study of a prototypical convective boundary layer observed during BLLAST: contributions by large-scale forcings

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 19247-19291 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Pietersen ◽  
J. Vilà-Guerau de Arellano ◽  
P. Augustin ◽  
O. de Coster ◽  
H. Delbarre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Heterogeneity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Boundary Layer Dynamics

Abstract. We study the disturbances of CBL dynamics due to large-scale atmospheric contributions for a representative day observed during the Boundary Layer Late Afternoon and Sunset Turbulence (BLLAST) campaign. We first reproduce the observed boundary-layer dynamics by combining the Dutch Atmospheric Large-Eddy Simulation (DALES) model with a mixed-layer theory based model. We find that by only taking surface and entrainment fluxes into account, the boundary-layer height is overestimated by 70%. If we constrain our numerical experiments with the BLLAST comprehensive data set, we are able to quantify the contributions of advection of heat and moisture, and subsidence. We find that subsidence has a clear diurnal pattern. Supported by the presence of a nearby mountain range, this pattern suggests that not only synoptic scales exert their influence on the boundary layer, but also mesoscale circulations. Finally, we study whether the vertical and temporal evolution of turbulent variables are influenced by these large-scale forcings. Our model results show good correspondence of the vertical structure of turbulent variables with observations. Our findings further indicate that when large-scale advection and subsidence are applied, the values for turbulent kinetic are lower than without these large-scale forcings. We conclude that the prototypical CBL can still be used as a valid representation of the boundary-layer dynamics near regions characterized by complex topography and small-scale surface heterogeneity, provided that surface- and large-scale forcings are well characterized.

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