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Toward a nonlinear theory of katabatic winds

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Abstract

The classic Prandtl slope flow model is generalized to include nonlinear turbulent friction and rotation. Several general regularities are established. In particular, a universal expression for the mass flux along the slope and a relationship between the surface velocity components, both independent of the friction law, are obtained. The applicability of the model to describing katabatic winds on fairly large horizontal scales is discussed.

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Original Russian Text © L.Kh. Ingel, 2011, published in Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, 2011, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 3–12.

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Ingel, L.K. Toward a nonlinear theory of katabatic winds. Fluid Dyn 46, 505–513 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0015462811040016

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