scholarly journals Transient Cold Air Drainage down a Shallow Valley

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 2534-2544 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mahrt ◽  
Jielun Sun ◽  
S. P. Oncley ◽  
T. W. Horst
Keyword(s):  
Surface Wind ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Drainage Flow ◽  
Wind Maximum ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Vertical Scale ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Small Valley

Abstract Drainage of cold air down a small valley and associated near-surface wind maxima are examined from 20 stations with sonic anemometers at 1 m and from a 20-m tower that includes six sonic anemometers in the lowest 5 m, deployed in the Shallow Cold Pool Experiment (SCP). The small valley is about 270 m wide and 12 m deep with a downvalley slope of 2%–3%. The momentum budget indicates that the flow is driven by the buoyancy deficit of the flow and opposed primarily by the stress divergence while the remaining terms are estimated to be at least an order of magnitude smaller. This analysis also reveals major difficulties in quantifying such a budget due to uncertainties in the measurements, sensitivity to choice of averaging time, and sensitivity to measurement heights. Wind maxima occur as low as 0.5 m in the downvalley drainage flow—the lowest observational level. The downvalley cold air drainage and wind maxima are frequently disrupted by transient modes that sometimes lead to significant vertical mixing. On average, the downvalley drainage of cold air occurs with particularly weak turbulence with stronger turbulence above the drainage flow. The momentum flux profile responds to the shear reversal at the wind maximum on a vertical scale of 1 m or less, suggesting the important role of finescale turbulent diffusion.

scholarly journals Thermal Submeso Motions in the Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer. Part 2: Generating Mechanisms and Implications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Pfister ◽  
Karl Lapo ◽  
Larry Mahrt ◽  
Christoph K. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Side Wall ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Continuous Data ◽  
Valley Bottom ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Surface Temperatures

AbstractIn the stable boundary layer, thermal submesofronts (TSFs) are detected during the Shallow Cold Pool experiment in the Colorado plains, Colorado, USA in 2012. The topography induces TSFs by forming two different air layers converging on the valley-side wall while being stacked vertically above the valley bottom. The warm-air layer is mechanically generated by lee turbulence that consistently elevates near-surface temperatures, while the cold-air layer is thermodynamically driven by radiative cooling and the corresponding cold-air drainage decreases near-surface temperatures. The semi-stationary TSFs can only be detected, tracked, and investigated in detail when using fibre-optic distributed sensing (FODS), as point observations miss TSFs most of the time. Neither the occurrence of TSFs nor the characteristics of each air layer are connected to a specific wind or thermal regime. However, each air layer is characterized by a specific relationship between the wind speed and the friction velocity. Accordingly, a single threshold separating different flow regimes within the boundary layer is an oversimplification, especially during the occurrence of TSFs. No local forcings or their combination could predict the occurrence of TSFs except that they are less likely to occur during stronger near-surface or synoptic-scale flow. While classical conceptualizations and techniques of the boundary layer fail in describing the formation of TSFs, the use of spatially continuous data obtained from FODS provide new insights. Future studies need to incorporate spatially continuous data in the horizontal and vertical planes, in addition to classic sensor networks of sonic anemometry and thermohygrometers to fully characterize and describe boundary-layer phenomena.

scholarly journals Dynamical Aspects of Wintertime Cold-Air Pools in an Alpine Valley System

2005 ◽  
Vol 133 (9) ◽  
pp. 2721-2740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günther Zängl
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Drainage Flow ◽  
Dynamical Mechanism ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Ambient Wind ◽  
Alpine Valley ◽  
Ambient Flow ◽  
Alpine Foreland

Abstract This study presents high-resolution numerical simulations in order to examine the dynamical mechanisms controlling the persistence of wintertime cold-air pools in an Alpine valley system. First, a case study of a cold-pool episode is conducted, the formation of which was related to the passage of a warm front north of the Alps. While the preexisting cold air was rapidly advected away in the Alpine foreland, a persistent cold pool was maintained in the inner-Alpine part of the valley system, associated with sustained horizontal temperature differences of up to 10 K over a distance of 30 km. The case study is complemented by a series of semi-idealized simulations, combining realistic topography with idealized large-scale flow conditions. These simulations consider a range of different ambient wind directions in order to investigate their impact on the cold-pool persistence. The results indicate that the most important dynamical mechanism controlling the persistence of cold-air pools in deep Alpine valleys is cold-air drainage toward the Alpine foreland. The preferred direction for such a drainage flow is down the pressure gradient imposed by the (geostrophically balanced) ambient flow. Thus, for a given valley geometry and a given strength of the ambient flow, the probability for persistent cold-air pools mainly depends on the ambient wind direction. If the direction of the imposed pressure gradient matches a sufficiently wide connection to the foreland (a valley or a low pass), then a drainage flow will lead to a rapid removal of the cold air. However, the presence of pronounced lateral constrictions in the connecting valley may strongly reduce the drainage efficiency. Cold-pool erosion by turbulent vertical mixing seems to play a comparatively minor role in deep valley systems as considered in this study.

scholarly journals EnKF Assimilation of High-Resolution, Mobile Doppler Radar Data of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, Supercell into a Numerical Cloud Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 625-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin L. Tanamachi ◽  
Louis J. Wicker ◽  
David C. Dowell ◽  
Howard B. Bluestein ◽  
Daniel T. Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Profile ◽  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Doppler Radar Data

Abstract Mobile Doppler radar data, along with observations from a nearby Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D), are assimilated with an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) technique into a nonhydrostatic, compressible numerical weather prediction model to analyze the evolution of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, tornadic supercell. The storm is simulated via assimilation of reflectivity and velocity data in an initially horizontally homogeneous environment whose parameters are believed to be a close approximation to those of the Greensburg supercell inflow sector. Experiments are conducted to test analysis sensitivity to mobile radar data availability and to the mean environmental near-surface wind profile, which was changing rapidly during the simulation period. In all experiments, a supercell with similar location and evolution to the observed storm is analyzed, but the simulated storm’s characteristics differ markedly. The assimilation of mobile Doppler radar data has a much greater impact on the resulting analyses, particularly at low altitudes (≤2 km), than modifications to the near-surface environmental wind profile. Differences in the analyzed updrafts, vortices, cold pool structure, rear-flank gust front structure, and observation-space diagnostics are documented. An analyzed vortex corresponding to the enhanced Fujita scale 5 (EF-5) Greensburg tornado is stronger and deeper in experiments in which mobile (higher resolution) Doppler radar data are included in the assimilation. This difference is linked to stronger analyzed horizontal convergence, which in turn is associated with increased stretching of vertical vorticity. Changing the near-surface wind profile appears to impact primarily the updraft strength, availability of streamwise vorticity for tilting into the vertical, and low-level vortex strength and longevity.

scholarly journals CYGNSS Ocean Surface Wind Validation in the Tropics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakeel Asharaf ◽  
Duane E. Waliser ◽  
Derek J. Posselt ◽  
Christopher S. Ruf ◽  
Chidong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Surface Wind Speed ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Low Wind Speeds ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

AbstractSurface wind plays a crucial role in many local/regional weather and climate processes, especially through the exchanges of energy, mass and momentum across the Earth’s surface. However, there is a lack of consistent observations with continuous coverage over the global tropical ocean. To fill this gap, the NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission was launched in December 2016, consisting of a constellation of eight small spacecrafts that remotely sense near surface wind speed over the tropical and sub-tropical oceans with relatively high sampling rates both temporally and spatially. This current study uses data obtained from the Tropical Moored Buoy Arrays to quantitatively characterize and validate the CYGNSS derived winds over the tropical Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. The validation results show that the uncertainty in CYGNSS wind speed, as compared with these tropical buoy data, is less than 2 m s-1 root mean squared difference, meeting the NASA science mission Level-1 uncertainty requirement for wind speeds below 20 m s-1. The quality of the CYGNSS wind is further assessed under different precipitation conditions, and in convective cold-pool events, identified using buoy rain and temperature data. Results show that CYGNSS winds compare fairly well with buoy observations in the presence of rain, though at low wind speeds the presence of rain appears to cause a slight positive wind speed bias in the CYGNSS data. The comparison indicates the potential utility of the CYGNSS surface wind product, which in turn may help to unravel the complexities of air-sea interaction in regions that are relatively under-sampled by other observing platforms.

scholarly journals Baroclinic Frontal Instabilities and Turbulent Mixing in the Surface Boundary Layer. Part II: Forced Simulations

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 2429-2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Skyllingstad ◽  
Jenessa Duncombe ◽  
Roger M. Samelson
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Shear Instability ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation Model ◽  
Geostrophic Balance ◽  
Geostrophic Shear

AbstractGeneration of ocean surface boundary layer turbulence and coherent roll structures is examined in the context of wind-driven and geostrophic shear associated with horizontal density gradients using a large-eddy simulation model. Numerical experiments over a range of surface wind forcing and horizontal density gradient strengths, combined with linear stability analysis, indicate that the dominant instability mechanism supporting coherent roll development in these simulations is a mixed instability combining shear instability of the ageostrophic, wind-driven flow with symmetric instability of the frontal geostrophic shear. Disruption of geostrophic balance by vertical mixing induces an inertially rotating ageostrophic current, not forced directly by the wind, that initially strengthens the stratification, damps the instabilities, and reduces vertical mixing, but instability and mixing return when the inertial buoyancy advection reverses. The resulting rolls and instabilities are not aligned with the frontal zone, with an oblique orientation controlled by the Ekman-like instability. Mean turbulence is enhanced when the winds are destabilizing relative to the frontal orientation, but mean Ekman buoyancy advection is found to be relatively unimportant in these simulations. Instead, the mean turbulent kinetic energy balance is dominated by mechanical shear production that is enhanced when the wind-driven shear augments the geostrophic shear, while the resulting vertical mixing nearly eliminates any effective surface buoyancy flux from near-surface, cold-to-warm, Ekman buoyancy advection.

scholarly journals The influence of convective momentum transport and vertical wind shear on the evolution of a cold air outbreak

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Saggiorato ◽  
Louise Nuijens ◽  
A. Pier Siebesma ◽  
Stephan de Roode ◽  
Irina Sandu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Cloud Layer ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Cold Air Outbreak ◽  
Convective Momentum Transport

<p>To study the influence of convective momentum transport (CMT) on wind, boundary layer and cloud evolution in a marine cold air outbreak (CAO) we use Large-Eddy Simulations subjected to different baroclinicity (wind shear) but similar surface forcing. The simulated domain is large enough ( ≈100 × 100 km<sup>2</sup>) to develop typical mesoscale cellular convective structures.  We find that a maximum friction induced by momentum transport (MT) locates in the cloud layer for an increase of geostrophic wind with height (forward shear, FW) and near the surface for a decrease of wind with height (backward shear, BW). Although the total MT always acts as a friction, the interaction of friction-induced cross-isobaric flow with the Coriolis force can develop super-geostrophic winds near the surface (FW) or in the cloud layer (BW). The contribution of convection to MT is evaluated by decomposing the momentum flux by column water vapor and eddy size, revealing that CMT acts to accelerate sub-cloud layer winds under FW shear and that mesoscale circulations contribute significantly to MT for this horizontal resolution (250 m), even if small scale eddies are non-negligible and likely more important as resolution increases. Under FW shear, a deeper boundary layer and faster cloud transition are simulated, because MT acts to increase surface fluxes and wind shear enhances turbulent mixing across cloud tops. Our results show that the coupling between winds and convection is crucial for a range of problems, from CAO lifetime and cloud transitions to ocean heat loss and near-surface wind variability.</p>

scholarly journals Adaptive Thermal Image Velocimetry of spatial wind movement on landscapes using near target infrared cameras

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Schumacher ◽  
Marwan Katurji ◽  
Jiawei Zhang ◽  
Peyman Zawar-Reza ◽  
Benjamin Adams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Infrared Camera ◽  
Thermal Image ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Remote Sensing Technique ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Image Velocimetry

Abstract. Thermal Image Velocimetry (TIV) is a near-target remote sensing technique for estimating two- dimensional near-surface wind velocity based on spatiotemporal displacement of fluctuations in surface brightness temperature captured by an infrared camera. The addition of an automated parameterization and the combination of ensemble TIV results into one output made the method more suitable to changing meteorological conditions and less sensitive to noise stemming from the airborne sensor platform. Three field campaigns were carried out to evaluate the algorithm over turf, dry grass and wheat stubble. The derived velocities were validated with independently acquired observations from fine wire thermocouples and sonic anemometers. It was found that the TIV technique correctly derives atmospheric flow patterns close to the ground. Moreover, the modified method resolves wind speed statistics close to the surface at a higher resolution than the traditional measurement methods. Adaptive Thermal Image Velocimetry (A-TIV) is capable of providing contact-less spatial information about near-surface atmospheric motion and can help to be a useful tool in researching turbulent transport processes close to the ground.

scholarly journals Higher Ocean Wind Speeds During Marine Cold Air Outbreaks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik W. Kolstad
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Numerical Weather Prediction Model ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Cold Air Outbreaks

Marine cold air outbreaks (MCAOs) are large-scale events in which cold air masses are advected over open ocean. It is well-known that these events are linked to the formation of polar lows and other mesoscale phenomena associated with high wind speeds, and that they therefore in some cases represent a hazard to maritime activities. However, it is still unknown whether MCAOs are generally conducive to higher wind speeds than normal. Here this is investigated by comparing ocean near-surface wind speeds during MCAOs in atmospheric reanalysis products with different horizontal grid spacings, along with two case studies using a convection-permitting numerical weather prediction model. The study regions are the Labrador Sea and the Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian (GIN) Seas, where MCAOs have been shown to be important for air–sea interaction and deep water formation. One of the main findings is that wind speeds during the strongest MCAO events are higher than normal and higher than wind speeds during less severe events. Limited evidence from the case studies suggests that reanalyses with grid spacings of more than 50 km underestimate winds driven by the large ocean–atmosphere energy fluxes during MCAOs. The peak times of MCAO usually occur when baroclinic waves pass over the regions. Therefore, the strong wind episodes during MCAOs generally last for just a few days. However, MCAOs can persist for 50 days or more.

scholarly journals Mechanisms shaping wind convergence under extreme synoptic situations over the Gulf Stream region

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-53
Author(s):  
Victor Rousseau ◽  
Emilia Sanchez-Gomez ◽  
Rym Msadek ◽  
Marie-Pierre Moine
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Wind Regimes

AbstractAir-sea interaction processes over the Gulf Stream have received particular attention over the last decade. It has been shown that sea surface temperature (SST) gradients over the Gulf Stream can alter the near surface wind divergence through changes in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain the response: the Vertical Mixing Mechanism (VMM) and the Pressure Adjustment Mechanism (PAM). However, their respective contribution is still under debate. It has been argued that the synoptic perturbations over the Gulf Stream can provide more insight on the MABL response to SST fronts. We analyze the VMM and PAM under different atmospheric conditions obtained from a classification method based on the deciles of the statistical distribution of winter turbulent heat fluxes over the Gulf Stream. Lowest deciles are associated with weak air-sea interactions and anticyclonic atmospheric circulation over the Gulf Stream, whereas highest deciles are related to strong air-sea interactions and a cyclonic circulation. Our analysis includes the low and high-resolution versions of the ARPEGEv6 atmospheric model forced by observed SST, and the recently released ERA5 global reanalysis. We find that the occurrence of anticyclonic and cyclonic perturbations associated with different anomalous wind regimes can locally modulate the activation of the VMM and the PAM. In particular, the PAM is predominant in anticyclonic conditions, whereas both mechanisms are equally present in most of the cyclonic conditions. Our results highlight the role of the atmospheric circulation and associated anomalous winds in the location, strength and occurrence of both mechanisms.

scholarly journals SST-Induced Surface Wind Variations over the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence: Satellite and In Situ Observations*

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 3470-3482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Tokinaga ◽  
Youichi Tanimoto ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Surface Stability ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The North ◽  
Weak Surface ◽  
Divergence Pattern

Abstract The confluence of the Brazil–Malvinas Currents maintains strong sea surface temperature (SST) fronts in the midlatitude southwestern Atlantic year-round. SST effects on near-surface stability and surface wind variations are examined in this region using satellite and in situ datasets. Satellite observations show strong (weak) surface wind speeds over the warm Brazil (cold Malvinas) Current. A novel feature of this study is the construction of a high-resolution surface meteorological dataset that is based on historical ship observations. Analysis of this new in situ dataset reveals an increased (reduced) sea–air temperature difference over the Brazil (Malvinas) Current, indicating destabilization (stabilization) in the atmospheric boundary layer. These results are consistent with the SST-induced vertical mixing mechanism for wind adjustment. The SST effect on the near-surface atmosphere is observed both in the climatology and on interannual time scales in the Brazil–Malvinas confluence. Along a zonal SST front at 49°S northeast of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, there is a collocated line of surface wind divergence, with moderate convergence to the north. Vertical mixing does not explain this divergence pattern because the prevailing surface winds are westerly, blowing in parallel with the front. An additional mechanism is proposed for boundary layer wind adjustment.

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