Brooks, IM and Fowler, AM (2012) An Evaluation of boundary-layer depth, inversion and entrainment parameters by large eddy simulation. Boundary-Layer Meteorology: an international journal of physical and biological processes in the atmospheric boundary layer, 142 (2). 245 - 263. ISSN 0006-8314
Abstract
Studies of entrainment across the top of the boundary layer rely to a great extent on identification of the boundary-layer top, inversion properties, entrainment-zone depth, and the temporal changes in all of these. A variety of definitions and techniques have been used to provide automated and objective estimates; however, direct comparisons between studies is made difficult by the lack of consistency in techniques. Here we compare boundary-layer depth, entrainment-zone thickness, and entrainment rate derived from several commonly used techniques applied to a common set of large-eddy simulations of the idealized, dry, convective boundary layer. We focus in particular on those techniques applicable to lidar backscatter measurements of boundary-layer structure. We find significant differences in all the quantities of interest, and further that the behaviour as functions of common scaling parameters, such as convective Richardson number, also differ, sometimes dramatically. The discretization of the possible values of some quantities imposed by the vertical grid is found to affect some of the results even when changes to model resolution does not affect the entrainment rate or scaling behaviour. This is a particular problem where entrainment parameters are derived from a single mean profile (e. g. the buoyancy-flux profile), but not where they are derived from the statistical properties of large numbers of individual profiles (e. g. the probability distribution of the local boundary-layer top at each model grid point).
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | Entrainment; Inversion; Large-eddy simulation; Mixed-layer depth |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 09 Jan 2014 11:41 |
Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2014 02:33 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10546-011-9668-3 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10546-011-9668-3 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:77213 |