Record Details
Exploring the Possible Role of Small-Scale Terrain Drag on Stable Boundary Layers over Land
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Exploring the Possible Role of Small-Scale Terrain Drag on Stable Boundary Layers over Land |
| Names |
Steeneveld, G. J.
(creator) Holtslag, A. A. M. (creator) Nappo, C. J. (creator) van de Wiel, B. J. H. (creator) Mahrt, L. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2008-10 (iso8601) |
| Abstract | This paper addresses the possible role of unresolved terrain drag, relative to the turbulent drag on the development of the stable atmospheric boundary layer over land. Adding a first-order estimate for terrain drag to the turbulent drag appears to provide drag that is similar to the enhanced turbulent drag obtained with the so-called long-tail mixing functions. These functions are currently used in many operational models for weather and climate, although they lack a clear physical basis. Consequently, a simple and practical quasi-empirical parameterization of terrain drag divergence for use in large-scale models is proposed and is tested in a column mode. As an outcome, the cross-isobaric mass flow (a measure for cyclone filling) with the new scheme, using realistic turbulent drag, appears to be equal to what is found with the unphysical long-tail scheme. At the same time, the new scheme produces a much more realistic less-deep boundary layer than is obtained by using the long-tail mixing function. |
| Genre | Article |
| Topic | Boundary layer |
| Identifier | Steeneveld, G. J., A. A. M. Holtslag, C. J. Nappo, B. J. H. van de Wiel, L. Mahrt, 2008: Exploring the Possible Role of Small-Scale Terrain Drag on Stable Boundary Layers over Land. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 47, 2518–2530. |
