Record Details
Time-Dependent, Integrated Planetary Boundary Layer Flow
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Time-Dependent, Integrated Planetary Boundary Layer Flow |
| Names |
Mahrt, L. J.
(creator) |
| Date Issued | 1974-03 (iso8601) |
| Abstract | The response of vertically averaged boundary layer flow to specified time-dependent pressure gradients is examined. The adjustment rate of the boundary layer flow to the pressure gradient field is found to be proportional to the strength of the coupling between the flow and boundary stresses. The angle between the steady flow and geostrophic wind is also proportional to the strength of this coupling. The relationship of the transient component of the boundary layer wind to the “frictionless” transient wind component is found to be similar to the relationship of the steady boundary layer wind to the geostrophic wind. In flows characterized by transient Rossby number of order unity or greater, the production of cross-isobar mass transport is more sensitive to local accelerations than to typical variations of the surface drag coefficient. The transient portion of the vertical motion field, associated with the geostrophic vorticity tendency, is important when the time scale of the pressure gradient is comparable to or smaller than the boundary layer adjustment time scale |
| Genre | Article |
| Identifier | Mahrt, L. J., 1974: Time-Dependent, Integrated Planetary Boundary Layer Flow. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 31, 457–464. |
