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Exploring Vertical Turbulence Structure in Neutrally and Stably Stratified Flows Using the Weather Research and Forecasting–Large-Eddy Simulation (WRF–LES) Model

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Abstract

Following Sun et al. (J Atmos Sci 69(1):338–351, 2012), vertical variations of turbulent mixing in stably stratified and neutral environments as functions of wind speed are investigated using the large-eddy simulation capability in the Weather Research and Forecasting model. The simulations with a surface cooling rate for the stable boundary layer (SBL) and a range of geostrophic winds for both stable and neutral boundary layers are compared with observations from the Cooperative Atmosphere–Surface Exchange Study 1999 (CASES-99). To avoid the uncertainty of the subgrid scheme, the investigation focuses on the vertical domain when the ratio between the subgrid and the resolved turbulence is small. The results qualitatively capture the observed dependence of turbulence intensity on wind speed under neutral conditions; however, its vertical variation is affected by the damping layer used in absorbing undesirable numerical waves at the top of the domain as a result of relatively large neutral turbulent eddies. The simulated SBL fails to capture the observed temperature variance with wind speed and the observed transition from the SBL to the near-neutral atmosphere with increasing wind speed, although the vertical temperature profile of the simulated SBL resembles the observed profile. The study suggests that molecular thermal conduction responsible for the thermal coupling between the surface and atmosphere cannot be parameterized through the Monin–Obukhov bulk relation for turbulent heat transfer by applying the surface radiation temperature, as is common practice when modelling air–surface interactions.

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Acknowledgments

The simulations were performed on the supercomputers of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Yellowstone under Projects NMMM0004 and NWSA0001. The research has been supported by the research project CGL2012-37416-C04-04 of the Spanish Ministry of Research, by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Catalan Government, and by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which are gratefully acknowledged. Acknowledgment is also made to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is sponsored by NSF, for the facilities used in this research. We also thank Dr. Don Lenschow for his helpful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Astronomia i Meteorologia, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franquès, 1., 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Mireia Udina & Maria Rosa Soler

  2. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA

    Jielun Sun & Branko Kosović

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  1. Mireia Udina
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  2. Jielun Sun
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  3. Branko Kosović
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  4. Maria Rosa Soler
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Correspondence to Mireia Udina.

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Udina, M., Sun, J., Kosović, B. et al. Exploring Vertical Turbulence Structure in Neutrally and Stably Stratified Flows Using the Weather Research and Forecasting–Large-Eddy Simulation (WRF–LES) Model. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 161, 355–374 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0171-8

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