Abstract
Abstract. A case study of a low-level jet (LLJ) during the OPALE (Oxidant Production over Antarctic Land and its Export) summer campaign is presented. It has been observed at Dome C (East Antarctica) and is simulated accurately by the three-dimensional version of the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR). It is found that this low-level jet is not related to an episode of thermal wind, suggesting that Dome C may be a place where turbulence on flat terrain can be studied.
Highlights
Low-level jets (LLJs) have been observed and studied for a long time
The LLJ at Dome C is related to the pressure gradient force (PGF) extending well above the boundary layer, while at the South Pole, the wind speed maximum is caused by the downslope PGF developing only in the bulk of the inversion wind layer
Hereafter we focus on a well-marked case study which is accurately simulated, in order to infer in a deeper way how to evaluate the simulation of a LLJ by a 3-D model
Summary
Low-level jets (LLJs) have been observed and studied for a long time (see e.g. Davies, 2000; Cuxart and Jimenez, 2007; Banta et al, 2003). The LLJ at Dome C is related to the pressure gradient force (PGF) extending well above the boundary layer, while at the South Pole, the wind speed maximum is caused by the downslope PGF developing only in the bulk of the inversion wind layer. Another difference is that there is no diurnal cycle at the South Pole. Note that Neff et al (2008) mention that the behaviour of nitrous oxide (NO) below the wind speed maximum they observe is not fully understood, since it could depend (but not always) on an accumulation process of NO over a thin drainage flow whose thickness increases gradually before it reaches the South Pole. The objective here is to focus on the driving forces of a LLJ at Dome C
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