The vertical structure of mid-latitude marine stratocumulus simulated by large eddy simulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangze Ren ◽  
Huiwen Xue
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Cellular Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Temperature Inversion ◽  
Liquid Water Content ◽  
Marine Stratocumulus ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy

<p>Cloud feedback in mid-latitude marine stratocumulus is not clearly understood due to few reliable observations. Stratocumulus cloud is the most frequent and extensive cloud type over mid-latitude marine areas and has strong short-wave radiative effect. In this study, large eddy simulation (LES) is used to resolve the vertical structure of mid-latitude marine stratocumulus. We find that, in the wintertime over North Pacific, stratocumulus cloud often forms in regions of high pressure and large-scale sinking motion, and can remain in steady-state for a couple of days. We then choose two typical cases to do LES simulation: One has a lower cloud top height and a stronger temperature inversion (case l), without mesoscale cellular structure; the other has a higher cloud top height and a weaker temperature inversion (case h), with closed-cell cellular structure. The liquid water content profiles are adiabatic, and the boundary layer is well-mixed for both cases. In case l, the main source of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is from cloud top long-wave radiative cooling for the entire boundary layer. In case h, TKE production due to cloud-top longwave cooling is only significant in the cloud layer, and the subcloud layer TKE is mainly from surface processes.</p>

Application of Near Wall Model to Large Eddy Simulation Based on Boundary Layer Approximation

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Takata ◽  
Akira Yamaguchi ◽  
Masaaki Tanaka ◽  
Hiroyuki Ohshima
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Frequency Characteristic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plane Channel ◽  
Boundary Layer Approximation ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Turbulent Statistics ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Near Wall

Turbulent statistics near a structural surface, such as a magnitude of temperature fluctuation and its frequency characteristic, play an important role in damage progression due to thermal stress. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) has an advantage to obtain the turbulent statistics especially in terms of the frequency characteristic. However, it still needs a great number of computational cells near a wall. In the present paper, a two-layer approach based on boundary layer approximation is extended to an energy equation so that a low computational cost is achieved even in a large-scale LES analysis to obtain the near wall turbulent statistics. The numerical examinations are carried out based on a plane channel flow with constant heat generation. The friction Reynolds numbers (Reτ) of 395 and 10,000 are investigated, while the Prandtl number (Pr) is set to 0.71 in each analysis. It is demonstrated that the present method is cost-effective for a large-scale LES analysis.

scholarly journals UCLALES–SALSA v1.0: a large-eddy model with interactive sectional microphysics for aerosol, clouds and precipitation

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Tonttila ◽  
Zubair Maalick ◽  
Tomi Raatikainen ◽  
Harri Kokkola ◽  
Thomas Kühn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Aerosol Size Distribution ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Radiation Fog ◽  
Marine Stratocumulus ◽  
Aerosol Cloud ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Wet Scavenging

Abstract. Challenges in understanding the aerosol–cloud interactions and their impacts on global climate highlight the need for improved knowledge of the underlying physical processes and feedbacks as well as their interactions with cloud and boundary layer dynamics. To pursue this goal, increasingly sophisticated cloud-scale models are needed to complement the limited supply of observations of the interactions between aerosols and clouds. For this purpose, a new large-eddy simulation (LES) model, coupled with an interactive sectional description for aerosols and clouds, is introduced. The new model builds and extends upon the well-characterized UCLA Large-Eddy Simulation Code (UCLALES) and the Sectional Aerosol module for Large-Scale Applications (SALSA), hereafter denoted as UCLALES-SALSA. Novel strategies for the aerosol, cloud and precipitation bin discretisation are presented. These enable tracking the effects of cloud processing and wet scavenging on the aerosol size distribution as accurately as possible, while keeping the computational cost of the model as low as possible. The model is tested with two different simulation set-ups: a marine stratocumulus case in the DYCOMS-II campaign and another case focusing on the formation and evolution of a nocturnal radiation fog. It is shown that, in both cases, the size-resolved interactions between aerosols and clouds have a critical influence on the dynamics of the boundary layer. The results demonstrate the importance of accurately representing the wet scavenging of aerosol in the model. Specifically, in a case with marine stratocumulus, precipitation and the subsequent removal of cloud activating particles lead to thinning of the cloud deck and the formation of a decoupled boundary layer structure. In radiation fog, the growth and sedimentation of droplets strongly affect their radiative properties, which in turn drive new droplet formation. The size-resolved diagnostics provided by the model enable investigations of these issues with high detail. It is also shown that the results remain consistent with UCLALES (without SALSA) in cases where the dominating physical processes remain well represented by both models.

scholarly journals Study of Realistic Urban Boundary Layer Turbulence with High-Resolution Large-Eddy Simulation

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Auvinen ◽  
Simone Boi ◽  
Antti Hellsten ◽  
Topi Tanhuanpää ◽  
Leena Järvi
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy

This study examines the statistical predictability of local wind conditions in a real urban environment under realistic atmospheric boundary layer conditions by means of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES). The computational domain features a highly detailed description of a densely built coastal downtown area, which includes vegetation. A multi-scale nested LES modelling approach is utilized to achieve a setup where a fully developed boundary layer flow, which is also allowed to form and evolve very large-scale turbulent motions, becomes incident with the urban surface. Under these nonideal conditions, the local scale predictability and result sensitivity to central modelling choices are scrutinized via comparative techniques. Joint time–frequency analysis with wavelets is exploited to aid targeted filtering of the problematic large-scale motions, while concepts of information entropy and divergence are exploited to perform a deep probing comparison of local urban canopy turbulence signals. The study demonstrates the utility of wavelet analysis and information theory in urban turbulence research while emphasizing the importance of grid resolution when local scale predictability, particularly close to the pedestrian level, is sought. In densely built urban environments, the level of detail of vegetation drag modelling description is deemed most significant in the immediate vicinity of the trees.

Large-eddy simulation of flow over a rotating cylinder: the lift crisis at

2018 ◽  
Vol 855 ◽  
pp. 371-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Cheng ◽  
D. I. Pullin ◽  
R. Samtaney
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cylinder Surface ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Attached Flow

We present wall-resolved large-eddy simulation (LES) of flow with free-stream velocity $\boldsymbol{U}_{\infty }$ over a cylinder of diameter $D$ rotating at constant angular velocity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}$ , with the focus on the lift crisis, which takes place at relatively high Reynolds number $Re_{D}=U_{\infty }D/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ , where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid. Two sets of LES are performed within the ( $Re_{D}$ , $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ )-plane with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}D/(2U_{\infty })$ the dimensionless cylinder rotation speed. One set, at $Re_{D}=5000$ , is used as a reference flow and does not exhibit a lift crisis. Our main LES varies $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ in $0\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}\leqslant 2.0$ at fixed $Re_{D}=6\times 10^{4}$ . For $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ in the range $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0.48{-}0.6$ we find a lift crisis. This range is in agreement with experiment although the LES shows a deeper local minimum in the lift coefficient than the measured value. Diagnostics that include instantaneous surface portraits of the surface skin-friction vector field $\boldsymbol{C}_{\boldsymbol{f}}$ , spanwise-averaged flow-streamline plots, and a statistical analysis of local, near-surface flow reversal show that, on the leeward-bottom cylinder surface, the flow experiences large-scale reorganization as $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ increases through the lift crisis. At $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0.48$ the primary-flow features comprise a shear layer separating from that side of the cylinder that moves with the free stream and a pattern of oscillatory but largely attached flow zones surrounded by scattered patches of local flow separation/reattachment on the lee and underside of the cylinder surface. Large-scale, unsteady vortex shedding is observed. At $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0.6$ the flow has transitioned to a more ordered state where the small-scale separation/reattachment cells concentrate into a relatively narrow zone with largely attached flow elsewhere. This induces a low-pressure region which produces a sudden decrease in lift and hence the lift crisis. Through this process, the boundary layer does not show classical turbulence behaviour. As $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ is further increased at constant $Re_{D}$ , the localized separation zone dissipates with corresponding attached flow on most of the cylinder surface. The lift coefficient then resumes its increasing trend. A logarithmic region is found within the boundary layer at $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=1.0$ .

Large-Eddy Simulation of the Onset of the Sea Breeze

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 4445-4457 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Antonelli ◽  
R. Rotunno
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Les Model

Abstract This paper describes results from a large-eddy simulation (LES) model used in an idealized setting to simulate the onset of the sea breeze. As the LES is capable of simulating boundary layer–scale, three-dimensional turbulence along with the mesoscale sea-breeze circulation, a parameterization of the planetary boundary layer was unnecessary. The basic experimental design considers a rotating, uniformly stratified, resting atmosphere that is suddenly heated at the surface over the “land” half of the domain. To focus on the simplest nontrivial problem, the diurnal cycle, effects of moisture, interactions with large-scale winds, and coastline curvature were all neglected in this study. The assumption of a straight coastline allows the use of a rectangular computational domain that extends to 50 km on either side of the coast, but only 5 km along the coast, with 100-m grid intervals so that the small-scale turbulent convective eddies together with the mesoscale sea breeze may be accurately computed. Through dimensional analysis of the simulation results, the length and velocity scales characterizing the simulated sea breeze as functions of the externally specified parameters are identified.

scholarly journals Large-Eddy Simulation of a Residual Layer: Low-Level Jet, Convective Rolls, and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 4473-4491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikio Nakanishi ◽  
Ryosuke Shibuya ◽  
Junshi Ito ◽  
Hiroshi Niino
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Residual Layer ◽  
Inertial Oscillation ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Low Level Jet ◽  
Convective Rolls

Abstract Diurnal variations of an atmospheric boundary layer from 0900 LST on day 33 to 0600 LST on day 34 of the Wangara experiment are studied using a large-eddy simulation (LES) model that includes longwave radiation and baroclinicity. The present study directs its particular attention to phenomena in a residual layer (RL). As the surface heat flux decreases, an inertial oscillation is initiated and is accompanied by a low-level jet (LLJ) at a height of approximately 200 m. The maximum wind speed of the LLJ exceeds 12 m s−1 at 0300 LST on day 34. After 2100 LST on day 33, the horizontal advection due to the LLJ under a large-scale horizontal gradient of temperature destabilizes the RL and consequently induces horizontal convective rolls, parallel to a vertical wind shear (VWS) vector, between heights of 400 and 1400 m. The VWS in the layer between the bottom of the convective rolls and the gradually growing LLJ maximum is intensified after midnight, and the gradient Richardson number falls below its critical value of 0.25 at a height of 400 m at 0130 LST on day 34. An empirical orthogonal function analysis demonstrates that Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) vortices appear below the convective rolls and are coupled with them. This study suggests that horizontal convective rolls can occur in an RL because an LLJ often advects warmer air to the lower layer according to a large-scale gradient of temperature and that the rolls may coexist with KH vortices in a stable boundary layer because the LLJ gradually increases a VWS.

scholarly journals Nocturnal Boundary Layer Erosion Analysis in the Amazon Using Large-Eddy Simulation during GoAmazon Project 2014/5

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Rayonil Carneiro ◽  
Gilberto Fisch ◽  
Theomar Neves ◽  
Rosa Santos ◽  
Carlos Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Nocturnal Boundary Layer ◽  
Enso Event ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Additional Energy ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy

This study investigated the erosion of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) over the central Amazon using a high-resolution model of large-eddy simulation (LES) named PArallel Les Model (PALM) and observational data from Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) project 2014/5. This data set was collected during four intense observation periods (IOPs) in the dry and rainy seasons in the years 2014 (considered a typical year) and 2015, during which an El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event predominated and provoked an intense dry season. The outputs from the PALM simulations represented reasonably well the NBL erosion, and the results showed that it has different characteristics between the seasons. During the rainy season, the IOPs exhibited slow surface heating and less intense convection, which resulted in a longer erosion period, typically about 3 h after sunrise (that occurs at 06:00 local time). In contrast, dry IOPs showed more intensive surface warming with stronger convection, resulting in faster NBL erosion, about 2 h after sunrise. A conceptual model was derived to investigate the complete erosion during sunrise hours when there is a very shallow mixed layer formed close to the surface and a stable layer above. The kinematic heat flux for heating this layer during the erosion period showed that for the rainy season, the energy emitted from the surface and the entrainment was not enough to fully heat the NBL layer and erode it. Approximately 30% of additional energy was used in the system, which could come from the release of energy from biomass. The dry period of 2014 showed stronger heating, but it was also not enough, requiring approximately 6% of additional energy. However, for the 2015 dry period, which was under the influence of the ENSO event, it was shown that the released surface fluxes were sufficient to fully heat the layer. The erosion time of the NBL probably influenced the development of the convective boundary layer (CBL), wherein greater vertical development was observed in the dry season IOPs (~1500 m), while the rainy season IOPs had a shallower layer (~1200 m).

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