Model Simulations Examining the Relationship of Lake-Effect Morphology to Lake Shape, Wind Direction, and Wind Speed

Abstract

Abstract Idealized model simulations with an isolated elliptical lake and prescribed winter lake-effect environmental conditions were used to examine the influences of lake shape, wind speed, and wind direction on the mesoscale morphology. This study presents the first systematic examination of variations in lake shape and the interplay between these three parameters. The array of 21 model simulations produced cases containing each of the three classic lake-effect morphologies (i.e., vortices, shoreline bands, and widespread coverage), and, in some instances, the mesoscale circulations were composed of coexisting morphologies located over the lake, near the downwind shoreline, or inland from the downwind shore. As with lake-effect circulations simulated over circular lakes, the ratio of wind speed (U) to maximum fetch distance (L) was found to be a valuable parameter for determining the morphology of a lake-effect circulation when variations of lake shape, wind speed, and wind direction were introduced. F...