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Abstract Unsteadiness and horizontal heterogeneities frequently characterize atmospheric motions, especially within convective storms, which are frequently studied using large-eddy simulations (LES). The models of near-surface turbulence employed by atmospheric LES, however, predominantly assume statistically steady and horizontally homogeneous conditions (known as the equilibrium approach). The primary objective of this work is to investigate the potential consequences of such unrealistic assumptions in simulations of tornadoes. Cloud Model 1 (CM1) LES runs are performed using three approaches to model near-surface turbulence: the “semi-slip” boundary condition (which is the most commonly used equilibrium approach), a recently proposed nonequilibrium approach that accounts for some of the effects of turbulence memory, and a nonequilibrium approach based on thin boundary layer equations (TBLE) originally proposed by the engineering community for smooth-wall boundary layer applications. To be adopted for atmospheric applications, the TBLE approach is modified to account for the surface roughness. The implementation of TBLE into CM1 is evaluated using LES results of an idealized, neutral atmospheric boundary layer. LES runs are then performed for an idealized tornado characterized by rapid evolution, strongly curved air parcel trajectories, and substantial horizontal heterogeneities. The semi-slip boundary condition, by design, always yields a surface shear stress opposite the horizontal wind at the lowest LES grid level. The nonequilibrium approaches of modeling near-surface turbulence allow for a range of surface-shear-stress directions and enhance the resolved turbulence and wind gusts. The TBLE approach even occasionally permits kinetic energy backscatter from unresolved to resolved scales. Significance Statement The traditional approach of modeling the near-surface turbulence is not suitable for a tornado characterized by rapid evolution, strongly curved air parcel trajectories, and substantial horizontal heterogeneities. To understand the influence of statistically unsteady and horizontally heterogeneous near-surface conditions on tornadoes, this work adopts a fairly sophisticated approach from the engineering community and implements it into a widely used atmospheric model with necessary modifications. Compared to the traditional approach, the newly implemented approach produces more turbulent near-surface winds, more flexible surface-drag directions, and stronger wind gusts. These findings suggest a simulated tornado is very sensitive to the modeling approach of near-surface turbulence.
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Aerodynamic Resistance Parameterization for Heterogeneous Surfaces Using a Covariance Function Approach in Spectral Space
Abstract Simulating the influence of heterogeneous surfaces on atmospheric flow using mesoscale models (MSM) remains a challenging task, as the resolution of these models usually prohibits resolving important scales of surface heterogeneity. However, surface heterogeneity impacts fluxes of momentum, heat, or moisture, which act as lower boundary conditions for MSM. Even though several approaches for representing subgrid-scale heterogeneities in MSM exist, many of these approaches rely on Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, preventing those models from resolving all scales of surface heterogeneity. To improve upon these residual heterogeneity scales, a novel heterogeneity parameterization is derived by linking the heterogeneous covariance function in spectral space to an associated homogeneous one. This covariance function approach is subsequently used to derive a parameterization of the aerodynamic resistance to heat transfer of the surface layer. Here, the effect of surface heterogeneity enters as a factor applied to the stability correction functions of the bulk similarity approach. To perform a first comparison of the covariance function approach against the conventional bulk similarity and tile approaches, large-eddy simulations (LESs) of distinct surface heterogeneities are conducted. The aerodynamic resistances from these three parameterizations are subsequently tested against the LES reference by resolving the surface heterogeneities with six different test-MSM grids of varying cell dimension. The results of these comparisons show that the covariance function approach proposed here yields the smallest deviations from the LES reference. In addition, the smallest deviation of the covariance function approach to the reference is observed for the LES with the largest surface heterogeneity, which illustrates the advantage of this novel parameterization.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1644382
- PAR ID:
- 10119350
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Meteorological Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Volume:
- 76
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 0022-4928
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 3191-3209
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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