Oscillating nocturnal slope flow in a coastal valley

1985 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven-Erik Gryning ◽  
L. Mahrt ◽  
Søren Larsen
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Farina ◽  
Dino Zardi ◽  
Silvana Di Sabatino ◽  
Mattia Marchio ◽  
Francesco Barbano

<p>Thermally driven winds observed in complex terrain are characterized by a daily cycle dominated by two main phases: a diurnal phase in which winds blow upslope (anabatic), and a nocturnal one in which they revert their direction and blow down slope (katabatic). This alternating pattern also implies two transition phases, following sunrise and sunset respectively. </p><p>Here we study the up-slope component of the slope wind with a focus on the morning transition based on from the MATERHORN experiment, performed in Salt Lake Desert (Utah) between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. </p><p>The analysis develops along three main paths of investigation. The first one is the selection of the suitable conditions for the study of the diurnal component and the characterization of the morning transition. The second one focuses on the deep analysis of the erosion of the nocturnal inversion at the foot of the slope in order to investigate the physical mechanisms driving it. And the third one consists in the comparison between the experimental data and the results of an analytical model (Zardi and Serafin, 2015). The study of the morning transition in the selected case studies allowed its characterization in terms of the relation with the solar radiation cycle, in terms of its seasonality and in terms of its propagation along the slope and along the vertical direction. Most of the results of this investigation are related to the identification of the main mechanisms of erosion of the nocturnal inversion at the foot of the slope and to its role to the beginning of the transition itself. Finally, it is shown how the above model can fairly reproduce the cycle between anabatic and katabatic flow and their intensity.</p><p>Zardi, D. and S. Serafin, 2015: An analytic solution for daily-periodic thermally-driven slope flow. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 141, 1968–1974.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiufen Zhang ◽  
Xizhi Lv ◽  
Rongxin Chen ◽  
Yongxin Ni ◽  
Li Ma

<p>The slope runoff caused by rainstorm is the main cause of serious soil and water loss in the loess hilly area, the grassland vegetation has a good inhibitory effect on the slope runoff, it is of great significance to reveal the role of grassland vegetation in the process of runoff generation and control mechanism for controlling soil erosion in this area. In this study, typical grassland slopes in hilly and gully regions of the loess plateau were taken as research objects. Through artificial rainfall in the field, the response rules of slope rainfall-runoff process to different grass coverage were explored. The results show that: (1) The time for the slope flow to stabilize is prolonged with the increase of vegetation coverage, and shortened with the increase of rainfall intensity; (2) At 60 mm·h <sup>−1</sup> rainfall intensity, the threshold of grassland vegetation coverage is 75.38%; at 90 mm·h<sup> −1</sup> rainfall intensity, the threshold of grassland vegetation coverage is 90.54%; at 120 mm·h <sup>−1</sup> rainfall intensity, the impact of grassland vegetation coverage on runoff is not significant; (3) the Reynolds number and Froude number of slope flow are 40.07‒695.22 and 0.33‒1.56 respectively, the drag coefficient is 1.42‒43.53. Under conditions of heavy rainfall, the ability of grassland to regulate slope runoff is limited. If only turf protection is considered, about 90% of grassland coverage can effectively cope with soil erosion caused by climatic conditions in loess hilly and gully regions. Therefore, in loess hilly areas where heavy rains frequently occur, grassland's protective effect on soil erosion is obviously insufficient, and investment in vegetation measures for trees and shrubs should be strengthened.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1643-1654
Author(s):  
John M. Huthnance ◽  
Mark E. Inall ◽  
Neil J. Fraser

AbstractEastern boundary currents are some of the most energetic features of the global ocean, contributing significantly to meridional mass, heat, and salt transports. We take a new look at the form of an oceanic slope current in equilibrium with oceanic density gradients. We depth integrate the linearized x and y momentum and continuity equations and assume an equilibrium force balance in the along-slope direction (no along-slope variation in the along-slope flow) and zero cross-slope flow at a coastal boundary. We relate the bottom stress to a bottom velocity via a simple boundary friction law (the precise details are easily modified) and then derive an expression for the slope current velocity by integrating upward including thermal wind shear. This provides an expression for the slope current as a function of depth and of cross-slope coordinate, dependent on the oceanic density field and surface and bottom stresses. This new expression for the slope current allows for more general forms of oceanic density fields than have been treated previously. Wind stress is also now considered. The emphasis here is on understanding the simplified equilibrium force balance rather than the evolution toward that balance. There is a direct relationship between the slope current strength, friction, and along-slope forcing (e.g., wind), and also between the total along-slope forcing and bottom Ekman transport, illustrating that “slippery” bottom boundaries in literature are a direct consequence of unrealistically assuming zero along-slope pressure gradient. We demonstrate the utility of the new expression by comparison with a high-resolution hydrodynamic numerical model.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Porter ◽  
A.C. Dale ◽  
S. Jones ◽  
B. Siemering ◽  
M.E. Inall
Keyword(s):  

2019 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 04019038
Author(s):  
Jacques Chorda ◽  
Ludovic Cassan ◽  
Pascale Laurens
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pan Zhang ◽  
Pingqing Xiao ◽  
Chunxia Yang

<p>The Pisha sandstone area on the Ordos Plateau of China is the primary source of coarse sediment of the Yellow River. Sediment size distribution and selectivity greatly affect sediment transport and deposition. Hence, sediment transport processes and size selectivity by overland flow on Pisha sandstone slopes were investigated in this study. Experiments were run with Pisha sandstone soil (bulk density of 1.35 g/cm<sup>3</sup>) under rainfall intensities of 87 and 133 mm/h with a 25° slope gradient, and the duration of simulated rainfall is 1 h. Sediment and runoff were sampled at 2-min intervals to examine the size distribution change of the eroded sediment. The particle composition, enrichment rate, fractal dimension, and time distribution characteristics of median grain size (d<sub>50</sub>) of eroded sediment were comprehensively analyzed. Statistical analyses showed that the erosion process of Pisha sandstone slope mainly transported coarse sediment. More than 40% of eroded sediment particles were coarse sediment, which will become the main sediment in the lower reaches of the Yellow River bed. The particle size of eroded sediment tended to gradually decrease with the continuous rainfall but remained larger than the background value of Pisha sandstone soil after refinement. The fractal dimension was positively correlated with the slope flow velocity, while the d<sub>50</sub> was negatively correlated with the slope flow velocity. Overall, these findings show a strong relationship between the sediment transport and flow velocity, which indicates that the selectivity and transportation of sediment particles on the Pisha sand slopes is mainly influenced by the hydrodynamic parameters of overland flow. This study provides a methodology and data references for studying the particle selectivity characteristics of eroded sediment and provides a scientific basis for revealing the mechanism of erosion and sediment yield in the Pisha sandstone area of China.</p>


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