Abstract
A two-dimensional numerical model is presented for the study of the Chicago area lake breeze. The hydrostatic approximation used by previous workers in this field is not employed. Instead, the complete z-momentum equation is solved and the equation of continuity is retained in its original form. The numerical model employs a staggered mesh, and Alternating Direction Implicit methods are used for the integration of the equations. Computational stability is achieved without external filters, upstream space differencing, or artificial horizontal diffusion terms.
The results obtained for realistic initial conditions but simplified boundary conditions compare reasonably well with observations obtained by Lyons in his 1967 observational study of the Chicago lake breeze. Limiting forms of the lower boundary condition bracket the observed wind speeds and other kinematic features of the breeze. Among the various ‘eddy diffusivity’ models, that with constant ‘eddy diffusivity’ with height produces the most realistic results. The models with a decrease of ‘eddy diffusivity’ with height show unrealistic flow patterns in the upper layers. The stability of the atmosphere at the onset of the breeze is shown to have a pronounced effect on the intensity of the circulation, but not on the thickness of the inflow layer, which appears quite insensitive to large changes in the parameters involved.
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Patrinos, A.A.N., Kistler, A.L. A numerical study of the Chicago lake breeze. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 12, 93–123 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116400
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116400