scholarly journals Eclipse-induced wind changes over the British Isles on the 20 March 2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 (2077) ◽  
pp. 20150224 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Gray ◽  
R. G. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Atmospheric Effects ◽  
British Isles ◽  
Near Surface

The British Isles benefits from dense meteorological observation networks, enabling insights into the still-unresolved effects of solar eclipse events on the near-surface wind field. The near-surface effects of the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015 are derived through comparison of output from the Met Office’s operational weather forecast model (which is ignorant of the eclipse) with data from two meteorological networks: the Met Office’s land surface station (MIDAS) network and a roadside measurement network operated by Vaisala. Synoptic-evolution relative calculations reveal the cooling and increase in relative humidity almost universally attributed to eclipse events. In addition, a slackening of wind speeds by up to about 2 knots in already weak winds and backing in wind direction of about 20° under clear skies across middle England are attributed to the eclipse event. The slackening of wind speed is consistent with the previously reported boundary layer stabilization during eclipse events. Wind direction changes have previously been attributed to a large-scale ‘eclipse-induced cold-cored cyclone’, mountain slope flows, and changes in the strength of sea breezes. A new explanation is proposed here by analogy with nocturnal wind changes at sunset and shown to predict direction changes consistent with those observed. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse’.

Assessing reasons for skilful predictions of winter windstorms over the Atlantic/European region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Degenhardt ◽  
Gregor Leckebusch ◽  
Adam Scaife
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Surface Wind Speed ◽  
Seasonal Forecast ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Financial Industry ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Skill Scores

<p>Severe Atlantic winter storms are affecting densely populated regions of Europe (e.g. UK, France, Germany, etc.). Consequently, different parts of the society, financial industry (e.g., insurance) and last but not least the general public are interested in skilful forecasts for the upcoming storm season (usually December to March). To allow for a best possible use of steadily improved seasonal forecasts, the understanding which factors contribute to realise forecast skill is essential and will allow for an assessment whether to expect a forecast to be skilful or not.</p><p>This study analyses the predictability of the seasonal forecast model of the UK MetOffice, the GloSea5. Windstorm events are identified and tracked following Leckebusch et al. (2008) via the exceedance of the 98<sup>th</sup> percentile of the near surface wind speed.</p><p>Seasonal predictability of windstorm frequency in comparison to observations (based e.g., on ERA5 reanalysis) are calculated and different statistical methods (skill scores) are compared.</p><p>Large scale patterns (e.g., NAO, AO, EAWR, etc.) and dynamical factors (e.g., Eady Growth Rate) are analysed and their predictability is assessed in comparison to storm frequency forecast skill. This will lead to an idea how the forecast skill of windstorms is depending on the forecast skill of forcing factors conditional to the phase of large-scale variability modes. Thus, we deduce information, which factors are most important to generate seasonal forecast skill for severe extra-tropical windstorms.</p><p>The results can be used to get a better understanding of the resulting skill for the upcoming windstorm season.</p>

scholarly journals Satellite observations of surface temperature during the March 2015 total solar eclipse

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 (2077) ◽  
pp. 20150219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Good
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Total Solar Eclipse ◽  
Atmospheric Effects ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Full Characterization ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Infrared Imager ◽  
Land Surface Temperatures

The behaviour of remotely sensed land surface temperatures (LSTs) from the spinning-enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) during the total solar eclipse of 20 March 2015 is analysed over Europe. LST is found to drop by up to several degrees Celcius during the eclipse, with the minimum LST occurring just after the eclipse mid-point (median=+1.5 min). The drop in LST is typically larger than the drop in near-surface air temperatures reported elsewhere, and correlates with solar obscuration ( r =−0.47; larger obscuration = larger LST drop), eclipse duration ( r =−0.62; longer duration = larger LST drop) and time ( r =+0.37; earlier eclipse = larger LST drop). Locally, the LST drop is also correlated with vegetation (up to r =+0.6), with smaller LST drops occurring over more vegetated surfaces. The LSTs at locations near the coast and at higher elevation are also less affected by the eclipse. This study covers the largest area and uses the most observations of eclipse-induced surface temperature drops to date, and is the first full characterization of satellite LST during an eclipse (known to the author). The methods described could be applied to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) LST data over North America during the August 2017 total solar eclipse. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse’.

scholarly journals Impacts of the Westerlies on Planetary Boundary Layer Growth Over a Valley on the North Side of the Central Himalayas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuelong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
Synoptic Wind ◽  
Synoptic Circulation

<p>The spatial-temporal structure of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) over mountainous areas can be strongly modified by topography. The PBL over the mountainous terrain of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is more complex than that observed over its flat areas. To date, there have been no detailed analyses which have taken into account the topography effects exerted on PBL growth over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A clear understanding of the processes involved in the PBL growth and depth over the TP’s mountainous areas is therefore long overdue.The PBL in the Himalayan region of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is important to the study of interaction between the area’s topography and synoptic circulation.</p><p>This study used radiosonde, <em>in-situ</em> measurements, ERA5 reanalysis dataset and numerical model to investigate the vertical structure of the PBL and the land surface energy balance in the Rongbuk Valley on the north of the central Himalaya, and their association with the Westerlies, which control the climate of the Himalaya in winters. Two sunny November days in 2014 with different synoptic conditions in terms of large-scale wind direction and speed were selected to investigate the ways in which large-scale synoptic forcing affected the vertical structure of the PBL, atmospheric stability, surface wind field, and land surface energy fluxes. The results revealed that the valley winds and PBL growth were strongly influenced by the variations of the westerlies. When the synoptic wind direction at the height of the mountain ridges was parallel to the axis of the valley, the downward transmission of the westerlies to the valley floor (DTWTV) was strong and cause high near-surface wind speeds and sensible heat flux value, then produced an extremely deep PBL (9 km above sea level) in the early afternoon of November 23. When the synoptic wind direction at the ridge height intersected the axis of the valley and was weak, the DTWTV was weak, and the PBL became relatively low on November 28. These results demonstrate that the interaction between the topography and synoptic circulation plays a critical role in PBL growth.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Changes in Land Surface Conditions on WRF Predictions in Arid Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2829-2853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marouane Temimi ◽  
Ricardo Fonseca ◽  
Narendra Nelli ◽  
Michael Weston ◽  
Mohan Thota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Cold Bias ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Impact

AbstractA thorough evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is conducted over the United Arab Emirates, for the period September 2017–August 2018. Two simulations are performed: one with the default model settings (control run), and another one (experiment) with an improved representation of soil texture and land use land cover (LULC). The model predictions are evaluated against observations at 35 weather stations, radiosonde profiles at the coastal Abu Dhabi International Airport, and surface fluxes from eddy-covariance measurements at the inland city of Al Ain. It is found that WRF’s cold temperature bias, also present in the forcing data and seen almost exclusively at night, is reduced when the surface and soil properties are updated, by as much as 3.5 K. This arises from the expansion of the urban areas, and the replacement of loamy regions with sand, which has a higher thermal inertia. However, the model continues to overestimate the strength of the near-surface wind at all stations and seasons, typically by 0.5–1.5 m s−1. It is concluded that the albedo of barren/sparsely vegetated regions in WRF (0.380) is higher than that inferred from eddy-covariance observations (0.340), which can also explain the referred cold bias. At the Abu Dhabi site, even though soil texture and LULC are not changed, there is a small but positive effect on the predicted vertical profiles of temperature, humidity, and horizontal wind speed, mostly between 950 and 750 hPa, possibly because of differences in vertical mixing.

scholarly journals Fifty-Seven-Year California Reanalysis Downscaling at 10 km (CaRD10). Part I: System Detail and Validation with Observations

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5553-5571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masao Kanamitsu ◽  
Hideki Kanamaru
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Lateral Boundary ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Precipitation Analysis

Abstract For the purpose of producing datasets for regional-scale climate change research and application, the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis for the period 1948–2005 was dynamically downscaled to hourly, 10-km resolution over California using the Regional Spectral Model. This is Part I of a two-part paper, describing the details of the downscaling system and comparing the downscaled analysis [California Reanalysis Downscaling at 10 km (CaRD10)] against observation and global analysis. An extensive validation of the downscaled analysis was performed using station observations, Higgins gridded precipitation analysis, and Precipitation-Elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) precipitation analysis. In general, the CaRD10 near-surface wind and temperature fit better to regional-scale station observations than the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis used to force the regional model, supporting the premise that the regional downscaling is a viable method to attain regional detail from large-scale analysis. This advantage of CaRD10 was found on all time scales, ranging from hourly to decadal scales (i.e., from diurnal variation to multidecadal trend). Dynamically downscaled analysis provides ways to study various regional climate phenomena of different time scales because all produced variables are dynamically, physically, and hydrologically consistent. However, the CaRD10 is not free from problems. It suffers from positive bias in precipitation for heavy precipitation events. The CaRD10 is inaccurate near the lateral boundary where regional detail is damped by the lateral boundary relaxation. It is important to understand these limitations before the downscaled analysis is used for research.

Diurnal and Seasonal Lightning Variability over the Gulf Stream and the Gulf of Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 2657-2665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina S. Virts ◽  
John M. Wallace ◽  
Michael L. Hutchins ◽  
Robert H. Holzworth
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Early Evening

Recent observations from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) reveal a pronounced lightning maximum over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream that exhibits distinct diurnal and seasonal variability. Lightning is most frequent during summer (June–August). During afternoon and early evening, lightning is enhanced just onshore of the coast of the southeastern United States because of daytime heating of the land surface and the resulting sea-breeze circulations and convection. Near-surface wind observations from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite indicate divergence over the Gulf of Mexico and portions of the Gulf Stream at 1800 LT, at which time lightning activity is suppressed there. Lightning frequency exhibits a broad maximum over the Gulf Stream from evening through noon of the following day, and QuikSCAT wind observations at 0600 LT indicate low-level winds blowing away from the continent and converging over the Gulf Stream. Over the northern Gulf of Mexico, lightning is most frequent from around sunrise through late morning. During winter, lightning exhibits a weak diurnal cycle over the Gulf Stream, with most frequent lightning during the evening. Precipitation rates from a 3-hourly gridded dataset that incorporates observations from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), as well as other satellites, exhibit a diurnal cycle over the Gulf Stream that lags the lightning diurnal cycle by several hours.

scholarly journals Modeling the Effect of Desert Urbanization on Local Climate and Natural Dust Generation: A Case Study for Erbil, Iraq

Urban Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Sherzad T. Tahir ◽  
Huei-Ping Huang
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Surface Dust ◽  
Dust Generation

This study uses a suite of meteorological and land-surface models to quantify the changes in local climate and surface dust fluxes associated with desert urbanization. Formulas connecting friction velocity and soil moisture to dust generation are used to quantify surface fluxes for natural wind-blown dust. The models are used to conduct a series of simulations for the desert city of Erbil across a period of rapid urbanization. The results show significant nighttime warming and weak but robust daytime cooling associated with desert urbanization. A slight reduction in near-surface wind speed is also found in the areas undergoing urbanization. These findings are consistent with previous empirical and modeling studies on other desert cities. Numerical models and empirical formulas are used to produce climatological maps of surface dust fluxes as a function of season, and for the pre- and post-urbanization eras. This framework can potentially be used to bridge the gap in observation on the trends in local dust generation associated with land-use changes and urban expansions.

Role of dynamic and thermodynamic processes for the propagation of organized convection in a large-scale flow

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunju Jung ◽  
Ann Kristin Naumann ◽  
Bjorn Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Propagation Speed ◽  
Background Wind ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Large Scale Flow ◽  
Model Setup ◽  
Self Aggregation ◽  
Organized Convection

<p>Convective self-aggregation in radiative convective equilibrium has been studied due to its similarities to organized convection in the tropics. As tropical atmospheric phenomena are embedded in a large-scale flow, we impose a background wind to the model setup using convection-permitting simulation to analyze the interaction of convective self-aggregation with the background wind. The simulations show that when imposing a background wind, the convective cluster propagates in the direction of the imposed wind but slows down compared to what pure advection would suggest, and eventually becomes stationary. The dynamic process dominates slowing down the propagation speed of the cluster because the surface momentum flux acts as a drag on the near-surface wind, terminating the propagation. The thermodynamic process through the wind-induce surface feedback contributes to only 6% of the propagation speed of the convective cluster and is strongly modified by the dynamic process.</p>

Meteorological Impacts of Forest Mortality due to Insect Infestation in Colorado

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Wiedinmyer ◽  
Michael Barlage ◽  
Mukul Tewari ◽  
Fei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Multiple Model ◽  
Insect Infestation ◽  
Meteorological Model ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Forest Mortality ◽  
Forest Dieback

Abstract Physical characteristics of forests and other ecosystems control land–atmosphere exchanges of water and energy and partly dictate local and regional meteorology. Insect infestation and resulting forest dieback can alter these characteristics and, further, modify land–atmosphere exchanges. In the past decade, insect infestation has led to large-scale forest mortality in western North America. This study uses a high-resolution mesoscale meteorological model coupled with a detailed land surface model to investigate the sensitivity of near-surface variables to insect-related forest mortality. The inclusion of this land surface disturbance in the model increased in simulated skin temperature by as much as 2.1 K. The modeled 2-m temperature increased an average of 1 K relative to the default simulations. A latent to sensible heat flux shift with a magnitude of 10%–15% of the available energy in the forested ecosystem was predicted after the inclusion of insect infestation and forest dieback. Although results were consistent across multiple model configurations, the characteristics of forests affected by insect infestations must be better constrained to more accurately predict their impacts. Despite the limited duration of the simulations (one week), these initial results suggest the importance of including large-scale forest mortality due to insect infestation in meteorological models and highlight the need for better observations of the characteristics and exchanges of these disturbed landscapes.

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