Surface influence upon vertical profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer

Near-surface wind profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer, depth h, above relatively flat, tree-covered terrain are described in the context of the analysis of Garratt (1980) for the unstable atmospheric boundary layer. The observations at two sites imply a surface-based transition layer, of depth z _*, within which the observed non-dimensional profiles Φ _M ⁰ are a modified form of the inertial sub-layer relation \(\Phi _M \left( {{z \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {z L}} \right. \kern-0em} L}} \right) = \left( {{{1 + 5_Z } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 + 5_Z } L}} \right. \kern-0em} L}} \right)\) according to $$\Phi _M^{\text{0}} \simeq \left( {{{1 + 5z} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 + 5z} L}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} L}} \right)\exp \left[ { - 0.7\left( {{{1 - z} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 - z} z}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} z}_ * } \right)} \right]$$ , where z is height above the zero-plane displacement and L is the Monin-Obukhov length. At both sites the depth z _* is significantly smaller than the appropriate neutral value (z _*N ) found from the previous analysis, as might be expected in the presence of a buoyant sink for turbulent kinetic energy.     

Validity of the log-linear profile relationship over a rough terrain during stable conditions

The applicability of the log-linear profile relationship over rough terrain to a height of 126 m is investigated. Simultaneous hourly averaged mean wind and temperature profiles measured at the Brookhaven meteorological tower during stable conditions are used in the analysis. The tower was surrounded by fairly homogeneous vegetation to a height of about 8 m. The results indicate that the log-linear profile relationship is valid at least for a height of 126 m for stabilities with Richardson numbers less than the critical value of 0.25. The mean value of in is found to be about 5.2 for these stabilities. The log-linear profile relation is found to be applicable for profiles observed beyond the critical stability; but the height of validity seems to decrease to about 100 m and the mean value of is about 1.6.Research performed under the auspices of the United States Energy Research and Development Administration (Contract E(30-1)-16).     

Water-Channel Estimation of Eulerian and Lagrangian Time Scales of the Turbulence in Idealized Two-Dimensional Urban Canopies

Lagrangian and Eulerian statistics are obtained from a water-channel experiment of an idealized two-dimensional urban canopy flow in neutral conditions. The objective is to quantify the Eulerian \((T^{\mathrm{E}})\) and Lagrangian \((T^{\mathrm{L}})\) time scales of the turbulence above the canopy layer as well as to investigate their dependence on the aspect ratio of the canopy, AR, as the latter is the ratio of the width (W) to the height (H) of the canyon. Experiments are also conducted for the case of flat terrain, which can be thought of as equivalent to a classical one-directional shear flow. The values found for the Eulerian time scales on flat terrain are in agreement with previous numerical results found in the literature. It is found that both the streamwise and vertical components of the Lagrangian time scale, \(T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{L} \) and \(T_\mathrm{w}^\mathrm{L} \), follow Raupach’s linear law within the constant-flux layer. The same holds true for \(T_\mathrm{w}^\mathrm{L} \) in both the canopies analyzed \((AR= 1\) and \(AR= 2\)) and also for \(T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{L} \) when \(AR = 1\). In contrast, for \(AR = 2\), \(T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{L} \) follows Raupach’s law only above \(z=2H\). Below that level, \(T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{L} \) is nearly constant with height, showing at \(z=H\) a value approximately one order of magnitude greater than that found for \(AR = 1\). It is shown that the assumption usually adopted for flat terrain, that \(\beta =T^{\mathrm{L}}/T^{\mathrm{E}}\) is proportional to the inverse of the turbulence intensity, also holds true even for the canopy flow in the constant-flux layer. In particular, \(\gamma /i_\mathrm{u} \) fits well \(\beta _\mathrm{u} =T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{L} /T_\mathrm{u}^\mathrm{E} \) in both the configurations by choosing \(\gamma \) to be 0.35 (here, \(i_\mathrm{u} =\sigma _\mathrm{u} / \bar{u} \), where \(\bar{u} \) and \(\sigma _\mathrm{u} \) are the mean and the root-mean-square of the streamwise velocity component, respectively). On the other hand, \(\beta _\mathrm{w} =T_\mathrm{w}^\mathrm{L} /T_\mathrm{w}^\mathrm{E} \) follows approximately \(\gamma /i_\mathrm{w} =0.65/\left( {\sigma _\mathrm{w} /\bar{u} } \right) \) for \(z > 2H\), irrespective of the AR value. The second main objective is to estimate other parameters of interest in dispersion studies, such as the eddy diffusivity of momentum \((K_\mathrm{{T}})\) and the Kolmogorov constant \((C_0)\). It is found that \(C_0\) depends appreciably on the velocity component both for the flat terrain and canopy flow, even though for the latter case it is insensitive to AR values. In all the three experimental configurations analyzed here, \(K_\mathrm{{T}}\) shows an overall linear growth with height in agreement with the linear trend predicted by Prandtl’s theory.     

Impacts of Mixing Processes in Nocturnal Atmospheric Boundary Layer on Urban Ozone Concentrations

A number of open questions remain regarding the role of low-level jets (LLJs) and nocturnal mixing processes in the buildup of tropospheric ozone. The prevalence of southerly winds and LLJs in the U.S. Southern Great Plains during summer makes this region an ideal site for investigating the structure of the nocturnal boundary layer and its impacts on urban air quality. Ozone $(\mathrm{O}_{3})$ and nitrogen oxide concentrations measured at regulatory monitoring sites in the Oklahoma City (OKC) area and simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) model were analyzed to show how the nocturnal LLJ moderates boundary-layer mixing processes and air quality. Datasets collected during the Joint Urban 2003 campaign, which took place in July 2003 in OKC, provided detailed information about nocturnal boundary-layer structure and dynamics. In general, ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ time series show the expected behavior that urban ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ concentrations decrease at night due to nitrogen oxide titration reactions, but elevated ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ concentrations and secondary ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ peaks are also seen quite frequently after sunset. LLJs developed on most nights during the study period and were associated with strong vertical wind shear, which affected the boundary-layer stability and structure. Near-surface ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ concentrations are higher during less stable nights when active mixing persists throughout the night. The WRF/Chem model results agree well with the observations and further demonstrate the role of LLJs in moderating nocturnal mixing processes and air quality. The highest nocturnal ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ concentrations are linked to a strong LLJ that promotes both nocturnal long-range transport and persistent downward mixing of ${\mathrm{O}_{3}}$ from the residual layer to the surface.     

Transfer Coefficients of Momentum, Heat and Water Vapour in the Atmospheric Surface Layer of a Large Freshwater Lake

In studies of lake–atmosphere interactions, the fluxes of momentum, water vapour and sensible heat are often parametrized as being proportional to the differences in wind, humidity and air temperature between the water surface and a reference height above the surface. Here, the proportionality via transfer coefficients in these relationships was investigated with the eddy-covariance method at three sites within an eddy-covariance mesonet across Lake Taihu, China. The results indicate that the transfer coefficients decreased with increasing wind speed for weak winds and approached constant values for strong winds. The presence of submerged macrophytes reduced the momentum transfer (drag) coefficient significantly. At the two sites free of submerged macrophytes, the 10-m drag coefficients under neutral stability were 1.8 $(\pm \,0.4) \times \,10^{-3}$ ( ± 0.4 ) × 10 ? 3 and $1.7\,(\pm \,0.3) \times \,10^{-3 }$ 1.7 ( ± 0.3 ) × 10 ? 3 at the wind speed of $9\,\text{ m } \text{ s }^{-1}$ 9 m s ? 1 , which are 38 and 34 % greater than the prediction by the Garratt model for the marine environment.     

Investigation of Turbulence Parametrization Schemes with Reference to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over the Aegean Sea During Etesian Winds

The spatial structure of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) over the Aegean Sea is investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model. Two ‘first-order’ non-local and five ‘1.5-order’ local planetary boundary-layer (PBL) parametrization schemes are used. The predictions from the WRF model are evaluated against airborne observations obtained by the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements BAe-14 research aircraft during the Aegean-GAME field campaign. Statistical analysis shows good agreement between measurements and simulations especially at low altitude. Despite the differences between the predicted and measured wind speeds, they reach an agreement index of 0.76. The simulated wind-speed fields close to the surface differ substantially among the schemes (maximum values range from 13 to \(18\hbox { m s}^{-1}\) at 150-m height), but the differences become marginal at higher levels. In contrast, all schemes show similar spatial variation patterns in potential temperature fields. A warmer (1–2 K) and drier (2–3\(\hbox { g kg}^{-1})\) layer than is observed, is predicted by almost all schemes under stable conditions (eastern Aegean Sea), whereas a cooler (up to 2 K) and moister (1–2\(\hbox { g kg}^{-1})\) layer is simulated under near-neutral to nearly unstable conditions (western Aegean Sea). Almost all schemes reproduce the vertical structure of the PBL and the shallow MABL (up to 300 m) well, including the low-level jet in the eastern Aegean Sea, with non-local schemes being closer to observations. The simulated PBL depths diverge (up to 500 m) due to the different criteria applied by the schemes for their calculation. Under stable conditions, the observed MABL depth corresponds to the height above the sea surface where the simulated eddy viscosity reaches a minimum; under neutral to slightly unstable conditions this is close to the top of the simulated entrainment layer. The observed sensible heat fluxes vary from ?40 to \(25\hbox { W m}^{-2}\), while the simulated fluxes range from ?40 to \(40\hbox { W m}^{-2}\); however, all of the schemes’ predictions are close to the observations under unstable conditions. Finally, all schemes overestimate the friction velocity, although the simulated range (from 0.2 to \(0.5\hbox { m s}^{-1})\) is narrower than that observed (from 0.1 to \(0.7\hbox { m s}^{-1})\).     

Streamwise Versus Spanwise Spacing of Obstacle Arrays: Parametrization of the Effects on Drag and Turbulence

A Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model is used to investigate the evolution of the sectional drag coefficient and turbulent length scales with the layouts of aligned arrays of cubes. Results show that the sectional drag coefficient is determined by the non-dimensional streamwise distance (sheltering parameter), and the non-dimensional spanwise distance (channelling parameter) between obstacles. This is different than previous approaches that consider only plan area density $(\lambda _\mathrm{p})$ . On the other hand, turbulent length scales behave similarly to the staggered case (e. g. they are function of $\lambda _\mathrm{p}$ only). Analytical formulae are proposed for the length scales and for the sectional drag coefficient as a function of sheltering and channelling parameters, and implemented in a column model. This approach demonstrates good skill in the prediction of vertical profiles of the spatially-averaged horizontal wind speed.     

Etude experimentale d'une relation entre le coefficient de frottement et le facteur de rafales en regime de vent faible et au-dessus d'une surface d'eau

In usual aerodynamic bulk formulas, the drag coefficient C _d has been best estimated in the 5 to 16 m s^–1 range of mean wind velocity; a value of 1.3 × 10^–3 is often considered for operational use. However, in the 0 to 5 m s^–1 range of mean wind velocity, corresponding to meteorological conditions of very light wind, experimental results have not resulted in any convincing agreement between various authors (Hicks et al., 1974; Wu, 1969; Kondo and Fujinawa, 1972; Mitsuta, 1973; Brocks and Krugermeyer, 1970).In the present paper, the drag coefficient is experimentally determined in conditions of very light wind and limited fetch (about 250 m). Due to this limited fetch, we have to be cautious in the extrapolation of our results to other sites. Nevertheless, some of experimental results are worth describing, considering the paucity of data in light wind conditions.Mean value and standard deviation (respectively 1.84 × 10^–3 and 1.24 × 10^–3) are obtained from 70 runs of 10-min duration. Mean wind velocities observed at 2 m above water surface are found to lie between 1.2 and 3.6 m s^–1. Whereas this mean value is in fair agreement with C _{d 10} = 1.3 × 10^–3, usually given for the 5 to 16 m s^–1 range (Kraus, 1972), the above value for the standard deviation seems too large to be left without further analysis.A more exhaustive analysis of the 70 values obtained for C _d shows that it depends on a parameter characteristic of longitudinal fluctuations of the wind velocity. A similar idea was put forward earlier by Kraus (1972). Relations between the drag coefficient and wind fluctuations may be tentatively given by: % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaam4qamaaBa% aaleaacaWGKbGaaGOmaaqabaGccqGH9aqpdaqadaqaaiabgkHiTiaa% igdacaGGUaGaaGimaiaaiEdacqGHRaWkcaaIXaGaaGinaiaac6caca% aIZaGaaGinamaalaaabaGaeq4Wdm3aaSbaaSqaaiaadwhacaGGNaaa% beaaaOqaaaaaaiaawIcacaGLPaaaruqqYLwySbacfaGaa8hEaiaa-b% cacaaIXaGaaGimamaaCaaaleqabaGaeyOeI0IaaG4maaaakiaabcca% caqGGaGaaeiiaiaabccacaqGXaGaaeOlaiaabAdacaqGGaGaaeyBai% aabccacaqGZbWaaWbaaSqabeaacaqGTaGaaeymaaaakiabgsMiJkqa% dwhagaqeamaaBaaaleaacaaIYaaabeaakiabgsMiJkaaiodacaGGUa% GaaGOnaiaab2gacaqGGaGaae4CamaaCaaaleqabaGaaeylaiaabgda% aaaaaa!634E!\[C_{d2} = \left( { - 1.07 + 14.34\frac{{\sigma _{u'} }}{{}}} \right)x 10^{ - 3} {\text{ 1}}{\text{.6 m s}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} \leqslant \bar u_2 \leqslant 3.6{\text{m s}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} \] and % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaam4qamaaBa% aaleaacaWGKbGaaGOmaaqabaGccqGH9aqpdaqadaqaaiabgkHiTiaa% iodacaGGUaGaaGioaiaaiAdacqGHRaWkcaaIZaGaaiOlaiaaiodaca% aI2aGaam4raaGaayjkaiaawMcaaerbbjxAHXgaiuaacaWF4bGaa8hi% aiaaigdacaaIWaWaaWbaaSqabeaacqGHsislcaaIZaaaaOGaaeilaa% aa!4B42!\[C_{d2} = \left( { - 3.86 + 3.36G} \right)x 10^{ - 3} {\text{,}}\] where _u/\-u ₂ and G, respectively, represent the standard deviation of u normalized with \-u ₂ and the longitudinal gust factor quoted in Smith (1974).We have established a relationship between these fluctuation parameters and the stability as given by a bulk layer Richardson number (between 0 and 2 m). These relations are given by: % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaaSaaaeaacq% aHdpWCdaWgaaWcbaGaamyDaiaacEcaaeqaaaGcbaGabmyDayaaraWa% aSbaaSqaaiaaikdaaeqaaaaakiabg2da9iaaicdacaGGUaGaaGymai% aaikdacqGHRaWkcaaIZaGaaiOlaiaaiIdacaaI1aGaaeiiaiaabkfa% caqGPbWaaSbaaSqaaiaabcdacaqGTaGaaeOmaaqabaaaaa!4802!\[\frac{{\sigma _{u'} }}{{\bar u_2 }} = 0.12 + 3.85{\text{ Ri}}_{{\text{0 - 2}}} \] and G=1.35+14.56 Ri_0–2. The increase in gustiness with stability is in qualitative agreement with Goptarev (1957)'s experimental results.In spite of the high-level correlation between C _d and _u/\-u ₂(G) on the one hand and between _u/\-u ₂(G) and Ri_0–2on the other hand, we found a poor relationship between C _d and Ri_0–2. It is worth noting too that the trend observed here for C _d to increase with stability is in complete disagreement with the usual theoretical expectation for C _d to decrease with increasing layer stability above water.

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E.R.A. du C.N.R.S. n 259.     

On the location and orientation of the South Pacific Convergence Zone

Three semi-permanent cloud bands exist in the Southern Hemisphere extending southeastward from the equator, through the tropics, and into the subtropics. The most prominent of these features occurs in the South Pacific and is referred to as the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). Similar bands, with less intensity, exist in the South Indian and Atlantic oceans. We attempt to explain the physical mechanisms that promote the diagonal orientation of the SPCZ and the processes that determine the timescales of its variability. It is argued that the slowly varying sea surface temperature patterns produce upper tropospheric wind fields that vary substantially in longitude. Regions where 200?hPa zonal winds decrease with longitude (i.e., negative zonal stretching deformation, or $ {{\partial \overline{U} } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\partial \overline{U} } {\partial x}}} \right. \kern-0em} {\partial x}} < 0 $ ) reduce the group speed of the eastward propagating synoptic (3?C6?day period) Rossby waves and locally increase the wave energy density. Such a region of wave accumulation occurs in the vicinity of the SPCZ, thus providing a physical basis for the diagonal orientation and earlier observations that the zone acts as a ??graveyard?? of propagating synoptic disturbances. In essence, $ {{\partial \overline{U} } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\partial \overline{U} } {\partial x}}} \right. \kern-0em} {\partial x}} = 0 $ demarks the boundary of the graveyard while regions where $ {{\partial \overline{U} } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\partial \overline{U} } {\partial x}}} \right. \kern-0em} {\partial x}} < 0 $ denote the graveyard itself. Composites of the life cycles of synoptic waves confirm this hypothesis. From the graveyard hypothesis comes a more general theory accounting for the SPCZ??s spatial orientation and its longer term variability influenced by the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), or alternatively, the changing background SST associated with different phases of ENSO.     

Chemical characterization of wet precipitation events and deposition of pollutants in coal mining region,India

The present study investigated the chemical composition of wet atmospheric precipitation in India’s richest coal mining belt. Total 418 samples were collected on event basis at six sites from July to October in 2003 and May to October in 2004 and analysed for pH, EC, F⁻, Cl⁻, , , Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺ and . The average pH value (5.7) of the rainwater of the investigated area is alkaline in nature. However, the temporal pH variation showed the alkaline nature during the early phase of monsoonal rainfall but it trends towards acidic during the late and high rainfall periods. The rainwater chemistry of the region showed high contribution of Ca²⁺ (47%) and (21%) in cations and (55%) and Cl⁻ (23%) in anionic abundance. The high non seas salt fraction (nss) of Ca²⁺ (99%) and Mg²⁺ (96%) suggests crustal source of the ions, while the high nss (96%) and high ratio signifying the impact of anthropogenic sources and the source of the acidity. The ratio of varies from 0.03 to 3.23 with the average value of 0.84 suggesting that Ca²⁺ and play a major role in neutralization processes. The assessment of the wet ionic deposition rates shows no any specific trend, however Ca²⁺ deposition rate was highest followed by and _.     

Spectral Short-circuiting and Wake Production within the Canopy Trunk Space of an Alpine Hardwood Forest

Using synchronous multi-level high frequency velocity measurements, the turbulence spectra within the trunk space of an alpine hardwood forest were analysed. The spectral short-circuiting of the energy cascade for each velocity component was well reproduced by a simplified spectral model that retained return-to-isotropy and component-wise work done by turbulence against the drag and wake production. However, the use of an anisotropic drag coefficient was necessary to reproduce these measured component-wise spectra. The degree of anisotropy in the vertical drag was shown to vary with the element Reynolds number. The wake production frequency in the measured spectra was shown to be consistent with the vortex shedding frequency at constant Strouhal number given by f _vs = 0.21ū/d, where d can be related to the stem diameter at breast height (dbh) and ū is the local mean velocity. The energetic scales, determined from the inflection point instability at the canopy–atmosphere interface, appear to persist into the trunk space when , where C _du is the longitudinal drag coefficient, a _cr is the crown-layer leaf area density, h _c is the canopy height, and β is the dimensionless momentum absorption at the canopy top.     

Kinetics of the reactions of Cl atoms with 2-buten-1-ol, 2-methyl-2-propen-1-ol, and 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol as a function of temperature

The reactions of three structurally similar unsaturated alcohols, 2-buten-1-ol (crotyl alcohol), 2-methyl-2-propen-1-ol (MPO221) and 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol (MBO321) with Cl atoms, have been investigated for the first time, using a 400 l Teflon reaction chamber coupled with gas chromatograph-coupled with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID). The experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures between 255 and 298 K, in air or nitrogen as the bath gas. The obtained kinetic data were used to derive the Arrhenius expressions , , (in units of cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹). Finally, atmospheric lifetimes of those unsaturated alcohols with respect to OH, NO₃, O₃ and Cl have been calculated.     

Mesoscale nocturnal jetlike winds within the planetary boundary layer over a flat,open coast

Mesoscale nocturnal jetlike winds have been observed over a flat, open coast. They occur within the planetary boundary layer between 100 and 600 m. At times the wind shear may reach 15 m s^-1 per 100 m. Unlike the common low-level jet that occurs most often at the top of the nocturnal inversion and only with a wind from the southerly quadrant, this second kind of jet exists between nocturnal ground-based inversion layers formed by the cool pool, or mesohigh, and the elevated mesoscale inversion layer over the coast. It occurs mostly when light % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaiikaiabgs% MiJkaaiwdacqGHsislcaaI2aGaaeyBaiaabccacaqGZbWaaWbaaSqa% beaacqGHsislcaaIXaaaaOGaaiykaaaa!3FCF!\[( \leqslant 5 - 6{\text{m s}}^{ - 1} )\] geostrophic winds blow from land to sea and when the air temperature over adjacent seas is more than 5 °C warmer than that over the coast. This phenomenon may be explained by combined Venturi and gravity-wind effects existing in a region from just above the area a few kilometres offshore to 100–600 m in height approximately 40–50 km inland because this region is sandwiched between the aforementioned two inversion layers.     

Effect of Surface Heterogeneity on the Boundary-Layer Height: A Case Study at a Semi-Arid Forest

We investigate the effects of an isolated meso-\(\gamma \)-scale surface heterogeneity for roughness and albedo on the atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) height, with a case study at a semi-arid forest surrounded by sparse shrubland (forest area: \(28~\text{ km }^2\), forest length in the main wind direction: 7 km). Doppler lidar and ceilometer measurements at this semi-arid forest show an increase in the ABL height over the forest compared with the shrubland on four out of eight days. The differences in the ABL height between shrubland and forest are explained for all days with a model that assumes a linear growth of the internal boundary layer of the forest through the convective ABL upwind of the forest followed by a square-root growth into the stable free atmosphere. For the environmental conditions that existed during our measurements, the increase in ABL height due to large sensible heat fluxes from the forest (\(600~\text {W~m}^{-2}\) in summer) is subdued by stable stratification in the free atmosphere above the ABL, or reduced by high wind speeds in the mixed layer.     

Influence from Surrounding Land on the Turbulence Measurements Above a Lake

Turbulence measurements taken at a Swedish lake are analyzed. Although the measurements took place over a relatively large lake with several km of undisturbed fetch, the turbulence structure was found to be highly influenced by the surrounding land during daytime. Variance spectra of both horizontal velocity and scalars during both unstable and stable stratification displayed a low frequency peak. The energy at lower frequencies showed a daily variation, increasing in the morning and decreasing in the afternoon. This behaviour is explained by spectral lag, where the low frequency energy due to large eddies that originate from the convective boundary layer above the surrounding land. When the air is advected over the lake the small eddies rapidly equilibrate with the new surface forcing. However, the large eddies remain for an appreciable distance and influence the turbulence in the developing lake boundary layer. The variances of the horizontal velocity and scalars are increased by these large eddies, while the turbulent fluxes are mainly unaffected. The drag coefficient, Stanton number and Dalton number used to parametrize the momentum flux, heat flux and latent heat flux respectively all compare well with current parametrizations developed for open sea conditions. The diurnal cycle of the partial pressure of methane, $p\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ , observed at this site is closely related to the diurnal cycle of the lake-air methane flux. An idealized two-dimensional model simulation of the boundary layer at a lake site indicates that the strong response of $p\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ to the surface methane flux is due to the shallow internal boundary layer that develops above the lake, allowing methane to accumulate in a relatively small volume.     

Katabatic Flow: A Closed-Form Solution with Spatially-Varying Eddy Diffusivities

The Nieuwstadt closed-form solution for the stationary Ekman layer is generalized for katabatic flows within the conceptual framework of the Prandtl model. The proposed solution is valid for spatially-varying eddy viscosity and diffusivity (O’Brien type) and constant Prandtl number (Pr). Variations in the velocity and buoyancy profiles are discussed as a function of the dimensionless model parameters \(z_0 \equiv \hat{z}_0 \hat{N}^2 Pr \sin {(\alpha )} |\hat{b}_\mathrm{s} |^{-1}\) and \(\lambda \equiv \hat{u}_{\mathrm{ref}}\hat{N} \sqrt{Pr} |\hat{b}_\mathrm{s} |^{-1}\), where \(\hat{z}_0\) is the hydrodynamic roughness length, \(\hat{N}\) is the Brunt-Väisälä frequency, \(\alpha \) is the surface sloping angle, \(\hat{b}_\mathrm{s}\) is the imposed surface buoyancy, and \(\hat{u}_{\mathrm{ref}}\) is a reference velocity scale used to define eddy diffusivities. Velocity and buoyancy profiles show significant variations in both phase and amplitude of extrema with respect to the classic constant \(\textit{K}\) model and with respect to a recent approximate analytic solution based on the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin theory. Near-wall regions are characterized by relatively stronger surface momentum and buoyancy gradients, whose magnitude is proportional to \(z_0\) and to \(\lambda \). In addition, slope-parallel momentum and buoyancy fluxes are reduced, the low-level jet is further displaced toward the wall, and its peak velocity depends on both \(z_0\) and \(\lambda \).     

From Near-Neutral to Strongly Stratified: Adequately Modelling the Clear-Sky Nocturnal Boundary Layer at Cabauw

The performance of an atmospheric single-column model (SCM) is studied systematically for stably-stratified conditions. To this end, 11 years (2005–2015) of daily SCM simulations were compared to observations from the Cabauw observatory, The Netherlands. Each individual clear-sky night was classified in terms of the ambient geostrophic wind speed with a \(1\hbox { m} \hbox { s}^{-1}\) bin-width. Nights with overcast conditions were filtered out by selecting only those nights with an average net radiation of less than \(-\,30\hbox { W }\hbox {m}^{-2}\). A similar procedure was applied to the observational dataset. A comparison of observed and modelled ensemble-averaged profiles of wind speed and potential temperature and time series of turbulent fluxes showed that the model represents the dynamics of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) at Cabauw very well for a broad range of mechanical forcing conditions. No obvious difference in model performance was found between near-neutral and strongly-stratified conditions. Furthermore, observed NBL regime transitions are represented in a natural way. The reference model version performs much better than a model version that applies excessive vertical mixing as is done in several (global) operational models. Model sensitivity runs showed that for weak-wind conditions the inversion strength depends much more on details of the land-atmosphere coupling than on the turbulent mixing. The presented results indicate that in principle the physical parametrizations of large-scale atmospheric models are sufficiently equipped for modelling stably-stratified conditions for a wide range of forcing conditions.     

One Year of Surface-Based Temperature Inversions at Dome C, Antarctica

In 2005 the Study of Stable Boundary Layer Environment at Dome C (STABLEDC) experimental campaign was conducted at the plateau station of Concordia at Dome C, Antarctica. Temperature profiles measured with a microwave radiometer were used to study the characteristics of surface-based temperature inversions over the course of a year. Statistics of temperature profiles for every month are discussed; the difference between daytime and nocturnal cases observed during the summer months disappears during winter. Surface-based temperature inversions occurred in 70 % of the time during summer, and almost all of the time during winter. During winter the occurrence of warming events leads to a decrease in the temperature difference between the top and the base of the inversion (i.e. the inversion strength). The inversion strength maxima ranged between $3\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ (December) and $35\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ (August) corresponding to gradients of 0.1 and $0.3\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\, \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ , respectively. The average surface-based inversion height presents a daily cycle during the summer months with values up to 200 m in the morning hours, while it affects a layer always deeper than 100 m during the winter months. The relationships between inversion strength and the downward longwave radiative flux, absolute temperature, and wind speed are examined. The inversion strength decreases as the longwave radiation increases. A clear anti-correlation between inversion strength and near-surface temperature is evident throughout the year. During the winter, the largest inversion strength values were observed under low wind-speed conditions; in contrast, a clear dependence was not found during the summer.