Covering stack of layers consisting of a single layer: Local near-surface buckling instability

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (32) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazar E.A
2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 2173-2187 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Brownlee ◽  
Pallav Ray ◽  
Mukul Tewari ◽  
Haochen Tan

AbstractNumerical simulations without hydrological processes tend to overestimate the near-surface temperatures over urban areas. This is presumably due to underestimation of surface latent heat flux. To test this hypothesis, the existing single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) within the Weather Research and Forecasting Model is evaluated over Houston, Texas. Three simulations were conducted during 24–26 August 2000. The simulations include the use of the default “BULK” urban scheme, the SLUCM without hydrological processes, and the SLUCM with hydrological processes. The results show that the BULK scheme was least accurate, and it overestimated the near-surface temperatures and winds over the urban regions. In the presence of urban hydrological processes, the SLUCM underestimates these parameters. An analysis of the surface heat fluxes suggests that the error in the BULK scheme is due to a lack of moisture at the urban surface, whereas the error in the SLUCM with hydrological processes is due to increases in moisture at the urban surface. These results confirm earlier studies in which changes in near-surface temperature were primarily due to the changes in the turbulent (latent and sensible heat) fluxes in the presence of hydrological processes. The contribution from radiative flux was about one-third of that from turbulent flux. In the absence of hydrological processes, however, the results indicate that the changes in radiative flux contribute more to the near-surface temperature changes than the turbulent heat flux. The implications of these results are discussed.


Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Haochen Tan ◽  
Pallav Ray ◽  
Mukul Tewari ◽  
James Brownlee ◽  
Ajaya Ravindran

Due to rapid urbanization, the near-surface meteorological conditions over urban areas are greatly modulated. To capture such modulations, sophisticated urban parameterizations with enhanced hydrological processes have been developed. In this study, we use the single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) available within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to assess the response of near-surface temperature, wind, and moisture to advection under the impact of the green roof. An ensemble of simulations with different planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes is conducted in the presence (green roof (GR)) and absence (control (CTL)) of green roof systems. Our results indicate that the near-surface temperature is found to be driven primarily by the surface heat flux with a minor influence from the zonal advection of temperature. The momentum budget analysis shows that both zonal and meridional momentum advection during the evening and early nighttime plays an important role in modulating winds over urban areas. The near-surface humidity remains nearly unchanged in GR compared to CTL, although the physical processes that determine the changes in humidity were different, in particular during the evening when the GR tends to have less moisture advection due to the reduced temperature gradient between the urban areas and the surroundings. Implications of our results are discussed.


Author(s):  
Pallav Ray ◽  
Haochen Tan ◽  
Mukul Tewari ◽  
James Brownlee ◽  
R. S. Ajayamohan ◽  
...  

AbstractThe role of advection of heat and momentum on the evolution of near-surface temperature and wind is evaluated in urban-aware simulations over Houston under dry conditions on a light-wind day. Two sets of experiments, each consisting of four simulations using different planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes, were conducted over 48 hours using the default urban scheme (BULK) and the single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) available within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. We focus on understanding and quantifying the role played by temperature and momentum advection, particularly on the windward and leeward sides of the city. Previous studies have largely ignored any quantitative analysis of impacts from the advection of momentum over an urban area.The horizontal advection of temperature was found to be more important in the BULK because of the larger surface temperature gradient caused by warmer surface temperatures over urban areas than in the SLUCM. An analysis of the momentum budget shows that horizontal advection of zonal and meridional momentum plays a prominent role during the period of peak near-surface winds, and this effect is more pronounced in the windward side of the city. The local tendency in peak winds in the leeward side lags that in the windward side by about 1-2 hours, similar to the lag found in horizontal momentum advection. The sensitivity of the results to different urban and PBL schemes was explored. The results imply that representation and influence of land-use patterns via sophisticated urban parameterizations generates locally driven winds that best resemble observations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Dutra ◽  
Pedro Viterbo ◽  
Pedro M. A. Miranda ◽  
Gianpaolo Balsamo

Abstract Three different complexity snow schemes implemented in the ECMWF land surface scheme Hydrology Tiled ECMWF Scheme of Surface Exchanges over Land (HTESSEL) are evaluated within the EC-EARTH climate model. The snow schemes are (i) the original HTESSEL single-bulk-layer snow scheme, (ii) a new snow scheme in operations at ECMWF since September 2009, and (iii) a multilayer version of the previous. In offline site simulations, the multilayer scheme outperforms the single-layer schemes in deep snowpack conditions through its ability to simulate sporadic melting events thanks to the lower thermal inertial of the uppermost layer. Coupled atmosphere–land/snow simulations performed by the EC-EARTH climate model are validated against remote sensed snow cover and surface albedo. The original snow scheme has a systematic early melting linked to an underestimation of surface albedo during spring that was partially reduced with the new snow schemes. A key process to improve the realism of the near-surface atmospheric temperature and at the same time the soil freezing is the thermal insulation of the snowpack (tightly coupled with the accuracy of snow mass and density simulations). The multilayer snow scheme outperforms the single-layer schemes in open deep snowpack (such as prairies or tundra in northern latitudes) and is instead comparable in shallow snowpack conditions. However, the representation of orography in current climate models implies limitations for accurately simulating the snowpack, particularly over complex terrain regions such as the Rockies and the Himalayas.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 574-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Solomon ◽  
Matthew D. Shupe ◽  
Ola Persson ◽  
Hugh Morrison ◽  
Takanobu Yamaguchi ◽  
...  

Abstract In this study, a series of idealized large-eddy simulations is used to understand the relative impact of cloud-top and subcloud-layer sources of moisture on the microphysical–radiative–dynamical feedbacks in an Arctic mixed-phase stratocumulus (AMPS) cloud system. This study focuses on a case derived from observations of a persistent single-layer AMPS cloud deck on 8 April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign near Barrow, Alaska. Moisture and moist static energy budgets are used to examine the potential impact of ice in mixed-phase clouds, specific humidity inversions coincident with temperature inversions as a source of moisture for the cloud system, and the presence of cloud liquid water above the mixed-layer top. This study demonstrates that AMPS have remarkable insensitivity to changes in moisture source. When the overlying air is dried initially, radiative cooling and turbulent entrainment increase moisture import from the surface layer. When the surface layer is dried initially, the system evolves to a state with reduced mixed-layer water vapor and increased surface-layer moisture, reducing the loss of water through precipitation and entrainment of near-surface air. Only when moisture is reduced both above and below the mixed layer does the AMPS decay without reaching a quasi-equilibrium state. A fundamental finding of this study is that, with or without cloud ice and with or without a specific humidity inversion, the cloud layer eventually extends into the temperature inversion producing a precipitation flux as a source of water into the mixed layer.


2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kodi L. Nemunaitis-Berry ◽  
Petra M. Klein ◽  
Jeffrey B. Basara ◽  
Evgeni Fedorovich

AbstractAs NWP and climate models continue to evolve toward finer grid spacing, efforts have been undertaken to better represent urban effects. For this study, the single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) of the High-Resolution Land Data Assimilation System (HRLDAS) and WRF Model was used to investigate the sensitivity of near-surface air temperatures and energy fluxes to SLUCM parameters in uncoupled (land) and coupled (land–atmosphere) predictions. Output from HRLDAS and WRF was compared with observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet and Joint Urban 2003 experiment. Variations in roof albedo (0.04–0.4) produced 40–135 W m−2 changes in net radiation and sensible heat fluxes. Sensible and ground heat fluxes varied by 40–100 W m−2 with changes in roof thermal conductivity (0.05–1.4). The urban fraction was found to be the only SLUCM parameter to significantly impact latent heat fluxes. Near-surface air temperatures, particularly during the daytime, did not show significant variations with SLUCM parameters (remaining within the 0.5-K range). Differences in urban air temperatures due to the change in boundary layer scheme were greater than the temperature changes due to SLUCM parameter variations. The sensitivity of near-surface air temperatures to SLUCM parameters depended on the method used to calculate the skin temperature of the impervious surface. For all simulations, predicted 2-m urban air temperatures were consistently higher than observations, with deviations approaching 8 K during the day and below 3 K at night. These large errors affected the model’s skill in reproducing the diurnal cycle of UHI intensity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Schwitalla ◽  
Hans-Stefan Bauer ◽  
Kirsten Warrach-Sagi ◽  
Thomas Bönisch ◽  
Volker Wulfmeyer

Abstract. Air pollution is one of the major challenges in urban areas. It can have a major impact on human health and society and is currently a subject of several litigations at European courts. Information on the level of air pollution is based on near surface measurements, which are often irregularly distributed along the main traffic roads and provide almost no information about the residential areas and office districts in the cities. To further enhance the process understanding and give scientific support to decision makers, we developed a prototype for an air quality forecasting system (AQFS) within the EU demonstration project Open Forecast. For AQFS, the Weather Research and Forecasting model together with its coupled chemistry component (WRF-Chem) is applied for the Stuttgart metropolitan area in Germany. Three model domains from 1.25 km down to a turbulence permitting resolution of 50 m were used and a single layer urban canopy model was active in all domains. As demonstration case study the 21 January 2019 was selected which was a heavy polluted day with observed PM10 concentrations exceeding 50 µg m−3. Our results show that the model is capable to reasonably simulate the diurnal cycle of surface fluxes and 2-m temperatures as well as evolution of the stable and shallow boundary layer typically occurring in wintertime in Stuttgart. The simulated fields of particulates with a diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) allow a clear statement about the most heavily polluted areas apart from the irregularly distributed measurement sites. Together with information about the vertical distribution of PM10 and NO2 from the model, AQFS will serve as a valuable tool for air quality forecast and has the potential of being applied to other cities around the world.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 4575-4597
Author(s):  
Thomas Schwitalla ◽  
Hans-Stefan Bauer ◽  
Kirsten Warrach-Sagi ◽  
Thomas Bönisch ◽  
Volker Wulfmeyer

Abstract. Air pollution is one of the major challenges in urban areas. It can have a major impact on human health and society and is currently a subject of several litigations in European courts. Information on the level of air pollution is based on near-surface measurements, which are often irregularly distributed along the main traffic roads and provide almost no information about the residential areas and office districts in the cities. To further enhance the process understanding and give scientific support to decision makers, we developed a prototype for an air quality forecasting system (AQFS) within the EU demonstration project “Open Forecast”. For AQFS, the Weather Research and Forecasting model together with its coupled chemistry component (WRF-Chem) is applied for the Stuttgart metropolitan area in Germany. Three model domains from 1.25 km down to a turbulence-permitting resolution of 50 m were used, and a single-layer urban canopy model was active in all domains. As a demonstration case study, 21 January 2019 was selected, which was a heavily polluted day with observed PM10 concentrations exceeding 50 µg m−3. Our results show that the model is able to reasonably simulate the diurnal cycle of surface fluxes and 2 m temperatures as well as evolution of the stable and shallow boundary layer typically occurring in wintertime in Stuttgart. The simulated fields of particulates with a diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) allow a clear statement about the most heavily polluted areas apart from the irregularly distributed measurement sites. Together with information about the vertical distribution of PM10 and NO2 from the model, AQFS will serve as a valuable tool for air quality forecasting and has the potential of being applied to other cities around the world.


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