Wave and turbulence structure in a disturbed nocturnal inversion

Abstract

Acoustic sounder and tower data obtained at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) are used to examine several features of the wave and turbulence structure associated with a disturbed nocturnal inversion. General features, including mean fields and Richardson number, for the case selected for this study are presented. Spectral analysis of the tower data reveals a separation of energy into wavelike and turbulent fluctuations. Analysis of the heat flux, however, shows upward counter-gradient fluxes in the vicinity of a low-level jet and near the top of the inversion. Cospectral analysis shows that the major contribution to the upward heat flux occurs at frequencies that would normally be considered characteristic of waves. In some cases, the upward flux is associated with a phase shift between vertical velocity w and fluctuating temperature θ different from the quadrature relation that would be expected of internal waves. Time series analysis reveals that these unexpected positive fluxes occur in relatively short bursts. Analysis of time series of θ and w in other cases, as well as inspection of acoustic sounder records, shows that sometimes such upward fluxes can result from a combination of wave motion and horizontal temperature advection. In this case the advection is associated with a shallow cold front.