Evidence for deep groundwater flow and convective heat transport in mountainous terrain, Delta County, Colorado, USA

The Tongue Creek watershed lies on the south flank of Grand Mesa in western Colorado, USA and is a site with 1.5 km of topographic relief, heat flow of 100 mW/m², thermal conductivity of 3.3 W m^–1 °C^–1, hydraulic conductivity of 10^-8 m/s, a water table that closely follows surface topography, and groundwater temperatures 3–15°C above mean surface temperatures. These data suggest that convective heat transport by groundwater flow has modified the thermal regime of the site. Steady state three-dimensional numerical simulations of heat flow, groundwater flow, and convective transport were used to model these thermal and hydrological data. The simulations provided estimates for the scale of hydraulic conductivity and bedrock base flow discharge within the watershed. The numerical models show that (1) complex three-dimensional flow systems develop with a range of scales from tens of meters to tens of kilometers; (2) mapped springs are frequently found at locations where contours of hydraulic head indicate strong vertical flow at the water table, and; (3) the distribution of groundwater temperatures in water wells as a function of surface elevation is predicted by the model.     

Adaptation of Pressure Based CFD Solvers for Mesoscale Atmospheric Problems

General purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers are frequently used in small-scale urban pollution dispersion simulations without a large extent of ver- tical flow. Vertical flow, however, plays an important role in the formation of local breezes, such as urban heat island induced breezes that have great significance in the ventilation of large cities. The effects of atmospheric stratification, anelasticity and Coriolis force must be taken into account in such simulations. We introduce a general method for adapting pressure based CFD solvers to atmospheric flow simulations in order to take advantage of their high flexibility in geometrical modelling and meshing. Compressibility and thermal stratification effects are taken into account by utilizing a novel system of transformations of the field variables and by adding consequential source terms to the model equations of incompressible flow. Phenomena involving mesoscale to microscale coupled effects can be analyzed without model nesting, applying only local grid refinement of an arbitrary level. Elements of the method are validated against an analytical solution, results of a reference calculation, and a laboratory scale urban heat island circulation experiment. The new approach can be applied with benefits to several areas of application. Inclusion of the moisture transport phenomena and the surface energy balance are important further steps towards the practical application of the method.     

Convection in a rotating annulus having sidewalls of height-dependent thermal conductance

Abstract

Thermal convection in a vertically-mounted, rotating annulus of a particular design proposed by Davies and Walin (1977) is investigated. The annulus used in the present study differs from the conventional type in some important aspects: the sidewalls are finitely conducting, and the thermal conductance of the sidewalls is height-dependent. The theoretical model due to Davies and Walin is briefly recounted. The present study aims to verify the theoretical model; we have acquired numerical solutions to the governing Navier-Stokes equations. The numerical results are supportive of the theoretical contentions. The near-linear dependence of the isothermal slope on the parameter D, which is a function of Ω and ΔT, is corroborated within reasonable limits. New data on the vertical and radial structures of the meridional and azimuthal flows are presented. The numerical results also confirm that the shape of the sidewall thickness has a substantial influence on the meridional flow patterns. In the bulk of the interior flow field, the dominant azimuthal flow field and the temperature field are linked by the thermal wind relation.     

基于BJ-RUC系统的临近探空及其对强对流发生潜势预报的指示性能初探

缺乏对流天气发生临近时刻的探空观测资料是制约强对流短时预报水平进一步发展的重要因素.随着数值预报技术水平的持续提高,高时空分辨率数值预报输出的模式探空性能越来越好,这为获取对流发生前的临近探空提供了有益的补充.本文针对北京地区2008年夏季20次较强的对流过程,得出北京市气象局BJ-RUC数值预报系统输出的54511站在分析时次(t=0)和预报时效分别为3和6 h的预报偏差均略差于t=0的分析探空,但是此两个时次的预报探空误差仍然处于可接受的范围内.对比20个对流个例54511站分别基于观测和分析或预报的对流不稳定能量、水平风的垂直切变等基本对流参数可以发现t=0时次模式分析探空在趋势和量级上与基于实际探空观测诊断的对流参数均有较好的一致性,基本上能够较为正确地在模式中反映临近对流发生前实际大气的环境特征;但是当考虑实际的预报时效时,t=3和6 h的预报探空能够提前约1和4 h为预报员提供对未来对流发生潜势预报的判断.因此,此两个时次探空更具有实际的业务应用价值.以两个强对流个例为例分析了BJ-RUC系统提供的分析和预报临近探空的性能及其对强对流潜势预报的指示性作用.结果表明,BJ-RUC输出的分析和预报探空对未来对流发生潜势具有较好的指示作用.但依据模式输出的探空变化要对对流发生时间、强度、落区乃至对流类型进行准确预报仍有一定的难度.     

大气对流边界层中的涡漩结构

大气边界层中存在尺度从几百米到几十公里的大涡漩运动.它们在边界层中动量、热量、水汽等垂直输送中起重要作用.作者从边界层中对流和上部稳定层中波动相互作用的观点,发展得出大涡结构的对流波动理论.根据此理论,大涡的波谱构成主要由上、下层大气中风向、风速、层结以及两层之间的温度跃变等因素决定.本文根据卫星云图和天气资料分析了一次冷空气爆发流经暖洋面上形成云街、对流单体以及它们之间的相互演化的过程,并用对流波动理论,依据各阶段的大气条件计算出它们的波数构成,并得出了垂直速度、辐合带、界面扰动的分布,解释了云街、对流单体的形成、结构及相互转化的原因.     

江西强雷电天气形势场及雷达回波特征分析

利用常规天气资料、地面观测资料、江西WebGIS雷达拼图和雷电监测资料,对2014—2016年江西出现的22次强雷电天气过程进行统计和对比分析。结果表明:江西强雷电天气易出现在赣北北部、南昌附近、上饶地区和吉安西部等区域;强雷电天气出现的环境背景场可分为副热带高压边缘型、副热带高压控制型、低涡切变型和台风外围型,最显著的特征是中高空经常伴有干冷舌侵入低层暖湿区;多项对流指数可以预测出现强雷电天气的可能性;雷达回波和雷电强度关系密切,回波类型以带状和块状为主;雷电强度和雷达回波强度有很好的对应关系,但产生强雷电的回波要具备强度大于50 dBz、强回波中心密实、强回波边缘梯度大等条件。