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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
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NASA NTRS2004

Rain Reevaporation, Boundary Layer Convection Interactions, and Pacific Rainfall Patterns in an AGCM

Sensitivity experiments with an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) show that parameterized rain re-evaporation has a large impact on simulated precipitation patterns in the tropical Pacific, especially on the configuration of the model s intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Weak re-evaporation leads t o the formation of a "double ITCZ" during the northern warm season. The double ITCZ is accompanied by strong coupling between precipitation and high-frequency vertical motion in the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Strong reevaporation leads to a better overall agreement of simulated precipitation with observations. The model s double ITCZ bias is reduced. At the same time, correlation between high-frequency vertical motion in the PBL and precipitation is reduced. Experiments with modified physics suggest that evaporative cooling by rain near the PBL top weakens the coupling between precipitation and vertical motion. This may reduce the model s tendency to form double ITCZs. The strength of high-frequency vertical motions in the PBL was also reduced directly through the introduction of a diffusive cumulus momentum transport (DCMT) parameterization. The DCMT had a visible impact on simulated precipitation in the tropics, but did not reduce the model s double bias in all cases.

Bacmeister, Julio T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Discussion of 'Comparison of turbulence models for the natural convection boundary layer along a heated vertical plate'

The paper presents a critical comment on the work of Henkes and Hoogendoorn. In particular, it is argued that the model of To and Humphrey (TH) (1986) has been implemented incorrectly, rendering invalid the conclusion that the TH model considerably deviates from the other models evaluated. In their response to the criticism, the authors present arguments in support of the correctness of their implementation of the TH model and of the validity of the conclusions reached in their work.

Humphrey, Joseph A. C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Investigation of Mesoscale Variability in Convective Boundary Layer Development Using LASE

Throughout this research effort we have analyzed data collected from the Southern Great Plains 1997 (SGP) experiment to evaluate terms in the budget of water vapor in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The analysis is centered on using data obtained from the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) downward-looking differential absorption lidar (DIAL) that was flown on the NASA-P3 aircraft. The DIAL is able to measure vertical profiles of water vapor, as well as aerosol backscatter, throughout the ABL. Initial work on using the DIAL is summarized in the attached meeting preprint, which discusses results from a segment of the 12 July 1997 flight. Additional analysis has been carried out using both the DIAL data and in situ measurements to obtain more complete and detailed estimates of terms in the ABL water vapor budget. This includes data from the Canadian National Research Council Twin Otter aircraft, as well as from a spectrum of surface-based instruments. This work is expected to lead to a refereed article planned for submission to the Journal.

Lenschow, Donald H.↗
NASA NTRS2019

A New Method to Retrieve the Diurnal Variability of Planetary Boundary Layer Height from Lidar Under Different Thermodynamic Stability Conditions

The planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) is an important parameter for understanding the accumulation of pollutants and the dynamics of the lower atmosphere. Lidar has been used for tracking the evolution of PBLH by using aerosol backscatter as a tracer, assuming aerosol is generally well-mixed in the PBL; however, the validity of this assumption actually varies with atmospheric stability. This is demonstrated here for stable boundary layers (SBL), neutral boundary layers (NBL), and convective boundary layers (CBL) using an 8-year dataset of micropulse lidar (MPL) and radiosonde (RS) measurements at the ARM Southern Great Plains, and MPL at the GSFC site. Due to weak thermal convection and complex aerosol stratification, traditional gradient and wavelet methods can have difficulty capturing the diurnal PBLH variations in the morning and forenoon, as well as under stable conditions generally. A new method is developed that combines lidar-measured aerosol backscatter with a stability dependent model of PBLH temporal variation (DTDS). The latter helps “recalibrate” the PBLH in the presence of a residual aerosol layer that does not change in harmony with PBL diurnal variation. The hybrid method offers significantly improved PBLH detection, with better correlation and smaller biases, under most thermodynamic conditions, especially for SBL and CBL. Relying on the physical process of PBL diurnal development, different schemes are developed for growing, maintenance, and decaying periods. Comprehensive evaluation of this new method shows much better tracking of diurnal PBLH variation and significantly smaller biases under various pollution levels.

Tianning Su↗
NASA NTRS1985

Large-Eddy Simulation in Planetary Boundary-Layer Research

The structure and dynamics of the convective boundary layer are discussed. The vertical transport of a conservative, passive scalar was simulated. Also studied were the statistics by top-down and bottom-up scalar fields. Substantial differences were found between them due, presumably, to the asymmetry in the convective boundary layer. A generalization of mixed-layer scaling was developed which allows one to include the effects of top-down diffusion.

Wyngaard, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The structure of the convective atmospheric boundary layer as revealed by lidar and Doppler radars

Results on the structure of the convective atmospheric boundary layer based on the analyses of data from the instrumented NSSL-KTVY tower, airborne Doppler lidar, and ground-based Doppler radars are presented. The vertically averaged wind over the boundary layer was found to be insensitive to baroclinicity, supporting the hypothesis of Arya and Wyngaard (1975). The computed momentum flux profiles were affected by baroclinicity. Horizontal wind spectra from lidar, radar, and tower data compared well with each other both in shape and magnitude. A consistent peak found near 4 km in all the computed spectra might have been caused by horizontally symmetric cells with horizontal wavelength 4 times the boundary-layer height as shown in Kuettner (1971) for the case of weak wind shear.

Eilts, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Lidar Measurements of Wind, Moisture and Boundary Layer Evolution in a Dryline During IHOP2002

Variability in the convective boundary layer moisture, wind and temperature fields and their importance in the forecasting and understanding of storms have been discussed in the literature. These variations have been reported in relation to frontal zones, stationary boundaries and during horizontal convective rolls. While all three vary substantially in the convective boundary layer, moisture poses a particular challenge. Moisture or water vapor concentration (expressed as a mass mixing ratio, g/kg), is conserved in all meteorological processes except condensation and evaporation. The water vapor mixing ratio often remains distinct across an air -mass boundary even when the temperature difference is indistinct. These properties make it an ideal choice in visualizing and understanding many of the atmosphere's dynamic features. However, it also presents a unique measurement challenge because water vapor content can vary by more than three orders of magnitude in the troposphere. Characterization of the 3D-distribution of water vapor is also difficult as water vapor observations can suffer from large sampling errors and substantial variability both in the vertical and horizontal. This study presents groundbased measurements of wind, boundary layer structure and water vapor mixing ratio measurements observed by three co-located lidars. This presentation will focus on the evolution and variability of moisture and wind in the boundary layer during a dry line event that occurred on 22 May 2002. These data sets and analyses are unique in that they combine simultaneous measurements of wind, moisture and CBL structure to study the detailed thermal variability in and around clear air updrafts during a dryline event. It will quantify the variation caused by, in and around buoyant plumes and across a dryline. The data presented here were collected in the panhandle of Oklahoma as part of the International BO Project (IHOP-2002), a field experiment that took place over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States from 13 May to 30 June 2002. The chief goal of IHOP-2002 is to improve characterization of the four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection

Demoz, Belay↗
NASA NTRS2002

Lidar Measurements of Wind, Moisture, and Boundary Layer Evolution in a Dry Line during 1HOP 2002

Variability in the convective boundary layer moisture, wind and temperature fields and their importance in the forecasting and understanding of storms have been discussed in the literature. These . variations have been reported in relation to frontal zones, stationary boundaries and during horizontal convective rolls. While all three vary substantially in the convective boundary layer, moisture poses a particular challenge. Moisture or water vapor concentration (expressed as a mass mixing ratio, g/kg), is conserved in all meteorological processes except condensation and evaporation. The water vapor mixing ratio often remains distinct across an air-mass boundary even when the temperature difference is indistinct. These properties make it an ideal choice in visualizing and understanding many of the atmosphere's dynamic features. However, it also presents a unique measurement challenge because water vapor content can vary by more than three orders of magnitude in the troposphere. Characterization of the 3D-distribution of water vapor is also difficult as water vapor observations can suffer from large sampling errors and substantial variability both in the vertical and horizontal. This study presents ground-based measurements of wind, boundary layer structure and water vapor mixing ratio measurements observed by three co-located lidars. This presentation will focus on the evolution and variability of moisture and wind in the boundary layer during a dry line event that occurred on 22 May 2002. These data sets and analyses are unique in that they combine simultaneous measurements of wind, moisture and CBL structure to study the detailed thermal variability in and around clear air updrafts during a dryline event. It will quantify the variation caused by, in and around buoyant plumes and across a dryline. The data presented here were collected in the panhandle of Oklahoma as part of the International H2O Project (MOP-2002), a field experiment that took place over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States from 13 May to 30 June 2002. The chief goal of MOP-2002 is to improve characterization of the four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection

Demoz, Belay↗
NASA NTRS1986

Laboratory experiments in a baroclinic annulus with heating and cooling on the horizontal boundaries

Experiments have been performed in a cylindrical annulus with horizontal temperature gradients imposed upon the horizontal boundaries and in which the vertical depth was smaller than the width of the annulus. Qualitative observations were made by the use of small, suspended, reflective flakes in the liquid (water). Four basic regimes of flow were observed: (1) axisymmetric flow, (2) deep cellular convection, (3) boundary layer convective rolls, and (4) baroclinic waves. In some cases there was a mix of baroclinic and convective instabilities present. As a 'mean' interior Richardson number was decreased from a value greater than unity to one less than zero, axisymmetric baroclinic instability of the Solberg type was never observed. Rather, the transition was from non-axisymmetric baroclinic waves, to a mix of baroclinic and convective instability, to irregular cellular convection.

Miller, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An equilibrium model for the coupled ocean-atmosphere boundary layer in the tropics

An atmospheric convective boundary layer (CBL) model is coupled to an ocean mixed-layer (OML) model in order to study the equilibrium state of the coupled system in the tropics, particularly in the Pacific region. The equilibrium state of the coupled system is solved as a function of sea-surface temperature (SST) for a given surface wind and as a function of surface wind for a given SST. It is noted that in both cases, the depth of the CBL and OML increases and the upwelling below the OML decreases, corresponding to either increasing SST or increasing surface wind. The coupled ocean-atmosphere model is solved iteratively as a function of surface wind for a fixed upwelling and a fixed OML depth, and it is observed that SST falls with increasing wind in both cases. Realistic gradients of mixed-layer depth and upwelling are observed in experiments with surface wind and SST prescribed as a function of longitude.

Sui, C.-H.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types: At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.50 C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2, which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness, should be revised upward.

DelGenio, Anthony D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning, is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types. At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.5C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2 which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness, should be revised upward.

DelGenio, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS1996

Transient Heat Transfer in a Semitransparent Radiating Layer with Boundary Convection and Surface Reflections

Surface convection and refractive index are examined during transient radiative heating or cooling of a grey semitransparent layer with internal absorption, emission and conduction. Each side of the layer is exposed to hot or cold radiative surroundings, while each boundary is heated or cooled by convection. Emission within the layer and internal reflections depend on the layer refractive index. The reflected energy and heat conduction distribute energy across the layer and partially equalize the transient temperature distributions. Solutions are given to demonstrate the effect of radiative heating for layers with various optical thicknesses, the behavior of the layer heated by radiation on one side and convectively cooled on the other, and a layer heated by convection while being cooled by radiation. The numerical method is an implicit finite difference procedure with non-uniform space and time increments. The basic method developed in earlier work is expanded to include external convection and incident radiation.

Siegel, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Interaction Between Boundary Layer and Convection Schemes in a WRF Simulation of Post‐Cold‐Frontal Clouds over the ARM East North Atlantic Site

The correct representation of lowlevel midlatitude clouds found in the wake of cold fronts strongly relies on the representation of planetary boundary layer (PBL) and convection processes, which are typically parameterized separately in numerical models. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF), this study investigates how distinct pairs of PBL and convection parameterization schemes represent cloud fraction in the postcoldfrontal region. The simulations focus on the region of the DOEARM Eastern North Atlantic observation site in the Azores Islands in the wake of a cold front that passed on December 25, 2015. Different PBL and convection schemes are combined to create 12 distinct configurations. The main differences between the selected physical parameterizations are the strength of vertical mixing and the entrainment. The simulations produce a wide range of cloud fractions, where some configurations significantly underestimate while others clearly overestimate satellite and surfacebased estimates of cloud fraction. A skill score is used to quantitatively assess the performance of each configuration with respect to groundbased radar data. The key processes that are found to significantly impact the cloud fraction distribution are the strength of the PBL decoupling, the vertical wind shear, entrainment and detrainment rates in shallow convection and the occurrence of drizzle. This indicates that to successfully simulate postcoldfrontal clouds, modeled physics must balance strong internal vertical mixing and weak exchange with the free troposphere. For this case study, cloud fraction was more sensitive to the choice of convection scheme than PBL scheme.

moist convection interaction between parameterizat↗
NASA NTRS2013

Atmospheric Turbulence Estimates from a Pulsed Lidar

Estimates of the eddy dissipation rate (EDR) were obtained from measurements made by a coherent pulsed lidar and compared with estimates from mesoscale model simulations and measurements from an in situ sonic anemometer at the Denver International Airport and with EDR estimates from the last observation time of the trailing vortex pair. The estimates of EDR from the lidar were obtained using two different methodologies. The two methodologies show consistent estimates of the vertical profiles. Comparison of EDR derived from the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) mesoscale model with the in situ lidar estimates show good agreement during the daytime convective boundary layer, but the WRF simulations tend to overestimate EDR during the nighttime. The EDR estimates from a sonic anemometer located at 7.3 meters above ground level are approximately one order of magnitude greater than both the WRF and lidar estimates - which are from greater heights - during the daytime convective boundary layer and substantially greater during the nighttime stable boundary layer. The consistency of the EDR estimates from different methods suggests a reasonable ability to predict the temporal evolution of a spatially averaged vertical profile of EDR in an airport terminal area using a mesoscale model during the daytime convective boundary layer. In the stable nighttime boundary layer, there may be added value to EDR estimates provided by in situ lidar measurements.

Pruis, Matthew J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Linear impact of thermal inhomogeneities on mesoscale atmospheric flow with zero synoptic wind

An analytical evaluation of the perturbations to mesoscale atmospheric flows induced by thermal inhomogeneities in the convective boundary layer is presented. The time evolution of these perturbations as a function of the intensity and of the horizontal and vertical scales of the diabatic forcing is studied. The problem is approached using Laplace transform theory for the time behavior and Green function theory for the spatial structure. Results show that the growth of the atmospheric perturbations closely follows the growth of the convective boundary layer; the transient being characterized by a number of inertia-gravity oscillations of decreasing intensity. The vertical scale is determined by the depth of the convective boundary layer; and the horizontal scale is determined by the local Rossby deformation radius. Sinusoidally periodic thermal forcing induce periodic atmospheric cells of the same horizontal scale. The intensity of mesoscale cells increases for increasing values of the wave number, reaches its maximum value when the wavelength of the forcing is of the order of the local Rossby radius, and then decreases as the wavelength of the forcing decreases.

Dalu, G. A.↗