Large-eddy simulations of surface influences on planetary boundary layer development in southwest Western Australia

J. Kala; T.J. Lyons; U.S. Nair; Y. Wu

doi:10.1002/qj.1879

Back

Large-eddy simulations of surface influences on planetary boundary layer development in southwest Western Australia

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Large-eddy simulations of surface influences on planetary boundary layer development in southwest Western Australia

J. Kala, T.J. Lyons, U.S. Nair and Y. Wu

Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol.138(667), pp.1465-1475

2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.1879

Files and links (2)

pdf

large-eddy_simulations.pdfDownload View

Published (Version of Record) Open Access

url

Link to Published Version *Subscription may be requiredView

Abstract

Observations from near-simultaneous atmospheric soundings released over contrasting land surfaces in the southwest of Western Australia during December 2005 (austral summer) and August 2007 (late austral winter or early spring) have shown higher planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights over native vegetation as compared to agricultural land. The large-eddy simulation technique is used to investigate the drivers behind these observed differences in PBL, and sensitivity tests are carried out with modified soil moisture and vegetation cover. It is shown that the differences in PBL for the December case are mainly driven by the change in vegetation cover, while a soil moisture gradient also played a role for the August case. The mixing diagram approach is used to further quantify the relative contributions of surface and entrainment fluxes on the growth of the PBL and it is shown that, while dry-air entrainment plays an important role in PBL development, it is the higher surface Bowen ratio which drives the more vigorous PBL development over the native vegetation. It is also shown that the enhanced PBL development over the native vegetation leads to the preferential formation of shallow convective clouds for the August case.

Details

Title: Large-eddy simulations of surface influences on planetary boundary layer development in southwest Western Australia
Authors/Creators: J. Kala (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
T.J. Lyons (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
U.S. Nair (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
Y. Wu (Author/Creator) - University of Alabama in Huntsville
Publication Details: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol.138(667), pp.1465-1475
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Identifiers: 991005540852607891
Copyright: © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Environmental Science
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Metrics

195 File views/ downloads

47 Record Views

1 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 8 Earth Sciences; 8.19 Oceanography, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences; 8.19.7 Hydroclimatic Modeling
Web Of Science research areas: Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
ESI research areas: Geosciences