An Analytical Study of the Diurnal Variations of Wind in a Semi-geostrophic Ekman Boundary Layer Model

Abstract

A time-dependent semi-geostrophic Ekman boundary-layer model based on the geostrophic momentum approximation is used to study the diurnal wind variation in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and the evolution of the low-level nocturnal jet (LLJ). The coefficient of eddy viscosity varies periodically with time, varies linearly with height in the surface layer and is constant above the surface layer. The influence of horizontal advection of momentum on the diurnal wind variation in the PBL, the development of inertial oscillations (IOs) and the formation of the LLJ are examined. In comparison with the Ekman solutions, the diurnal wind variation in semi-geostrophic Ekman boundary-layer dynamics has the following features: (1) the phase angle of the diurnal wind wave shifts with height, the rate of shifting is increased in anticyclonic regions and decreased in cyclonic regions, (2) the time of occurrence of the low-level maximum wind speed is later in anticyclonic regions and earlier in cyclonic regions, (3) the height of occurrence of the maximum wind speed is higher in the anticyclonic and lower in cyclonic regions, (4) the wind speed maximum and the amplitude of the diurnal wind variation are larger in anticyclonic and smaller in cyclonic regions, (5) the period of IOs is larger in anticyclonic regions and smaller in cyclonic regions, (6) anticyclonic vorticity is conducive to the generation of LLJ in the PBL. These features are interpreted by means of the physical properties of semi-geostrophic Ekman boundary-layer dynamics and inertial oscillation dynamics.