Low Surface Wind Speed Research Articles

How horizontal transport and turbulent mixing impact aerosol particle and precursor concentrations at a background site in the UAE

Abstract. The optical, physical, and chemical properties of aerosol particles have been previously studied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but there is still a gap in the knowledge of particle sources and in the horizontal and vertical transport of aerosol particles and their precursors in the area. To investigate how aerosol particle and SO2 concentrations at the surface responded to changes in horizontal and vertical transport, we used data from a 1-year measurement campaign at a background site where local sources of SO2 were expected to be minimal. The measurement campaign provided a combination of in situ measurements at the surface and the boundary layer evolution from vertical and horizontal wind profiles measured by a Doppler lidar. The diurnal structure of the boundary layer in the UAE was very similar from day to day, with a deep, well-mixed boundary layer during the day transitioning to a shallow nocturnal layer, with the maximum boundary layer height usually being reached around 14:00 local time. Both SO2 and nucleation-mode aerosol particle concentrations were elevated for surface winds coming from the east or western sectors. We attribute this to oil refineries located on the eastern and western coasts of the UAE. The concentrations of larger cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)-sized particles and their activation fraction did not show any clear dependence on wind direction, but the CCN number concentration showed some dependence on wind speed, with higher concentrations coinciding with the weakest surface winds. Peaks in SO2 concentrations were also observed despite low surface wind speeds and wind directions unfavourable for transport. However, winds aloft were much stronger, with wind speeds of 10 m s−1 at 1 km common at night and wind directions favourable for transport; surface-measured concentrations increased rapidly once these particular layers started to be entrained into the growing boundary layer, even if the surface wind direction was from a clean sector. These conditions also displayed higher nucleation-mode aerosol particle concentrations, i.e. new particle formation events occurring due to the increase in the gaseous precursor.

Effectiveness of inter-regional collaborative emission reduction for ozone mitigation under local-dominated and transport-affected synoptic patterns.

In recent years, the concentrations of ozone and the pollution days with ozone as the primary pollutant have been increasing year by year. The sources of regional ozone mainly depend on local photochemical formation and transboundary transport. The latter is influenced by different weather circulations. How to effectively reduce the inter-regional emission to control ozone pollution under different atmospheric circulation is rarely reported. In this study, we classify the atmospheric circulation of ozone pollution days from 2014 to 2019 over Central China based on the Lamb-Jenkinson method and the global analysis data of the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis (ERA5) operation. The effectiveness of emission control to alleviate ozone pollution under different atmospheric circulation is simulated by the WRF-Chem model. Among the 26 types of circulation patterns, 9 types of pollution days account for 79.5% of the total pollution days and further classified into 5 types. The local types (A and C type) are characterized by low surface wind speed and stable weather conditions over Central China due to a high-pressure system or a southwest vortex low-pressure system, blocking the diffusion of pollutants. Sensitivity simulations of A-type show that this heavy pollution process is mainly contributed by local emission sources. Removing the anthropogenic emission of pollutants over Central China would reduce the ozone concentration by 39.1%. The other three circulation patterns show pollution of transport characteristics affected by easterly, northerly, or southerly winds (N-EC, EC, S-EC-type). Under the EC-type, removing anthropogenic pollutants of East China would reduce the ozone concentration by 22.7% in Central China.

Two‐way feedback between the Madden–Julian Oscillation and diurnal warm layers in a coupled ocean–atmosphere model

AbstractDiurnal warm layers develop in the upper ocean on sunny days with low surface wind speeds. They rectify intraseasonal sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs), potentially impacting intraseasonal weather patterns such as the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO). Here we analyse 15‐lead‐day forecast composites of coupled ocean–atmosphere and atmosphere‐only numerical weather prediction (NWP) models of the UK Met Office to reveal that the presence of diurnal warming of SST (dSST) leads to a faster MJO propagation in the coupled model compared with the atmosphere‐only model. To test the feedback between the MJO and the dSST, we designed a set of experiments with instantaneous vertical mixing over the top 5 or of the ocean component of the coupled model. Weaker dSST in the mixing experiments leads to a slower MJO over 15 lead days. The dSST produces a increase in the MJO phase speed between the coupled and the atmosphere‐only model. An additional increase is found for other coupling effects, unrelated to the dSST. A two‐way feedback manifests in the coupled model over the 15 lead days of the forecast between the MJO and the dSST. The MJO regime dictates the strength of the dSST and the dSST rectifies the intraseasonal anomalies of SST in the coupled model. Stronger dSST in the coupled model leads to stronger intraseasonal anomalies of SST. The MJO convection responds to these SSTs on a seven‐lead‐day timescale, and feeds back into the SST anomalies within the next three lead days. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of high vertical resolution in the upper ocean for predicting the eastward propagation of the MJO in an NWP setting, which is potentially impactful for seasonal predictions and climate projections, should this feedback be unrepresented in the models.

Enlightenment from mitigation of human-perceived heat stress risk in Southwest China during the period 1961–2019

With the effects of climate change, people are increasingly facing human-perceived heat stress (HPHS), which describes the combined effects of high temperature, high humidity, and low surface wind speed. HPHS has a significant impact on industrial and agricultural production, people's lifestyles, and public health. However, the characteristics of HPHS with respect to changes and influencing factors have not been fully investigated using dynamic classification of urban, suburban, and rural stations based on absolute and relative thresholds of seven HPHS indices in Southwest China. The results of this study revealed that, first, during the period 1961–2019, the normal annual and seasonal HPHS values and extreme HPHS days increased significantly, while the extreme HPHS values for the seven HPHS indices decreased. Second, based on the absolute and relative thresholds, the frequency and intensity of the impact of urbanization differed in four regions, and in Yunnan and Guizhou in particular. Different HPHS indices and different dynamic station classification methods result in different estimations of the effects of urbanization on annual and seasonal changes in the regional climate. Therefore, choosing an appropriate dynamic station classification method and considering the applicability of different indices in different seasons in different regions is very important. Third, the Granger causality test shows that the percentage of stations with Granger causality between landscape composition indices and seven extreme HPHS is the highest among all influencing factors. At the same time, boosted regression tree detection also showed that the landscape composition indices had the highest contribution percentage to the seven extreme HPHS. Therefore, rational planning of land-use patterns, especially in relation to urban forest land, grassland, wetland, and water bodies (including vertical landscape composition, configuration planning, and building density and layout) has implications for the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Amplified risk of compound heat stress-dry spells in Urban India.

Compound warm-dry spells over land, which is expected to occur more frequently and expected to cover a much larger spatial extent in a warming climate, result from the simultaneous or successive occurrence of extreme heatwaves, low precipitation, and synoptic conditions, e.g., low surface wind speeds. While changing patterns of weather and climate extremes cannot be ameliorated, effective mitigation requires an understanding of the multivariate nature of interacting drivers that influence the occurrence frequency and predictability of these extremes. However, risk assessments are often focused on univariate statistics, incorporating either extreme temperature or low precipitation; or at the most bivariate statistics considering concurrence of temperature versus precipitation, without accounting for synoptic conditions influencing their joint dependency. Based on station-based daily meteorological records from 23 urban and peri-urban locations of India, covering the 1970–2018 period, this study identifies four distinct regions that show temporal clustering of the timing of heatwaves. Further, combining joint probability distributions of interacting drivers, this analysis explored compound warm-dry potentials that result from the co-occurrence of warmer temperature, scarcer precipitation, and synoptic wind patterns. The results reveal 50-year severe heat stress solely based on the temperature at each location tends to be more frequent and is expected to become 5 to 17-year compound warm-dry events considering interdependence between attributes. Notably, considering dependence among drivers, a median 6-fold amplification (ranging from 3 to 10-fold) in compound warm-dry spell frequency is apparent relative to the expected annual number of a local (univariate) 50-year severe heatwave episode, indicating warming-induced desiccation is already underway over most of the urbanized areas of the country.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00382-022-06324-y.

Concentration Characteristics of PM2.5 and the Causes of Heavy Air Pollution Events in Beijing During Autumn and Winter

To study the changing of characteristics and formation mechanisms of PM2.5 in Beijing during the last two years, particulate matter concentrations, weather conditions, and air-mass trajectories were analyzed during severe pollution episodes in fall and winter 2016-2017 using routine observations and the TrajStat model. Results showed that 13 heavy pollution events, each lasting at least two days, occurred in Beijing. Of these, approximately 61.5% occurred in winter, characterized by heavier pollution concentrations and longer durations than those occurring in autumn. A low-pressure gradient, high humidity, low surface wind speed, low boundary layer, and particular terrain (i. e., being surrounded by mountains on three sides) all contributed to the high occurrence frequency of severe pollution episodes in autumn and winter. During the pollution episodes, the average ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 reached 0.86. The air-masses during the accumulation stage were mainly transported from the northwest, west, southwest, and southeast of Beijing. The southwestern and southeastern transmission paths accounted for 21.6% of the total pollution load. In addition, the WRF-CAMx model was used to quantitatively analyze the contributions of local and external sources to the concentrations of PM2.5 in Beijing during 16-22 December 2016. Based on this analysis, PM2.5 contributions notably varied with different air-masses; in the case of southern air-masses, external sources dominated the PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing and local contributions decreased rapidly; in contrast, in the case of northwestern air-masses, the opposite pattern occurred. Overall, the contribution of local sources to PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing varied from 16.5% to 69.3% during the monitored pollution episodes.

Contrasting Aerosol Optical Characteristics and Source Regions During Summer and Winter Pollution Episodes in Nanjing, China

Two episodes with heavy air pollution in Nanjing, China, one in the summer and another one in the winter of 2017, were selected to study aerosol properties using sun photometer and ground-based measurements, together with source region analysis. The aerosol properties, the meteorological conditions, and the source regions during these two episodes were very different. The episodes were selected based on the air quality index (AQI), which reached a maximum value of 193 during the summer episode (26 May–3 June) and 304 during the winter episode (21–31 December). The particulate matter (PM) concentrations during the winter episode reached maximum values for PM2.5/10 of 254 g m−3 and 345 g m−3, much higher than those during the summer (73 and 185 g m−3). In contrast, the value of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm was higher during the summer episode (2.52 0.19) than during that in the winter (1.38 0.18). A high AOD value does not necessarily correspond to a high PM concentration but is also affected by factors, such as wind, Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLH), and relative humidity. The mean value of the Ångström Exponent (AE) varied from 0.91–1.42, suggesting that the aerosol is a mixture of invaded dust and black carbon. The absorption was stronger during the summer than during the winter, with a minimum value of the single scattering albedo (SSA) at 440 nm of 0.86 on 28 May. Low values of asymmetry factor (ASY) (0.65 at 440 nm and 0.58 at 1020 nm) suggest a large number of anthropogenic aerosols, which are absorbing fine-mode particles. The Imaginary part of the Refractive Index (IRI) was higher during the summer than during the winter, indicating there was absorbing aerosol during the summer. These differences in aerosol properties during the summer and winter episodes are discussed in terms of meteorological conditions and transport. The extreme values of PM and AOD were reached during both episodes in conditions with stable atmospheric stratification and low surface wind speed, which are conducive for the accumulation of pollutants. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis show that fine mode absorbing aerosols dominate during the summer season, mainly due to emissions of local and near-by sources. In the winter, part of the air masses was arriving from arid/semi-arid regions (Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia provinces) covering long distances and transporting coarse particles to the study area, which increased the scattering characteristics of aerosols.

Influence of deployment time and surface wind speed on the accuracy of measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes using a closed chamber method under low surface wind speed

ABSTRACTAs a convenient method, the closed chamber method has been applied to determine gaseous emission fluxes from fully open animal feeding operations despite the measured fluxes being theoretically affected by deployment time, wind speed over the emitting surface and detected gas mass. This laboratory study evaluated the effects of deployment time (0 to 120 min) and external surface wind speed (ESWS) (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 m sec-1) on the measurement accuracy of a 300 mm (diameter) × 400 mm (height) (D300×H400) closed chamber using methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as reference gases. The results showed that the overall deviation ratio between the measured and reference CH4 fluxes ranged from 9.99 % to -37.32 % and the flux was overestimated in the first 20 min. The measured N2O and SF6 emissions were smaller than the reference fluxes using the chamber. N2O measurement accuracy decreased from -14.47 to -35.09% with deployment time extended to 120 min, while SF6 accuracy sharply increased in the first 40 min, with the deviation stabilizing at approximately -5.00%. CH4, N2O and SF6 measurements were significantly affected by deployment time and ESWS (P<0.05), and the interaction of those two factors greatly influenced CH4 and SF6 measurements (P<0.05). With the D300×H400 closed chamber, deployment times of 20 to 30 min and 10 to 20 min are recommended to measure CH4 and N2O, respectively, from the open operations of dairy farms under wind speeds lower than 2 m sec-1.Implications: This study recommended the suitable deployment times and wind speeds for using a D300 × H400 closed chamber to measure CH4, N2O, and SF6 in an open system, such as a dairy open lot and manure stockpile, to help researchers and other related industry workers get accurate data for gas emission rate. Deployment times of 20 to 30 min and 10 to 20 min were recommended to measure CH4 and N2O emissions using the D300 × H400 closed chamber, respectively, from the open operations of dairy farms under wind speeds lower than 2 m sec−1. For the measurement of SF6, a typical tracer gas, a deployment of 70 to 90 min was suggested.

Investigating the Effects of Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures on the Wind Drought of 2015 Over the United States

AbstractDuring the first quarter of 2015 the United States experienced a widespread and extended episode of low surface wind speeds. This episode had a strong impact on wind power generation. Some wind farms did not generate enough cash for their steady payments, and the value of some assets decreased. Although the wind industry expressed their concerns, the episode has not received much attention from the scientific community and remains weakly understood. In this paper we aim to fill this gap and advance understanding of the underlying processes at seasonal time scales. Using retrospective climate predictions, we find that high sea surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific ocean associated with a strongly positive phase of the North Pacific Mode played a central role to establish and maintain those wind anomalies. In a more general way it has also been shown that interannual variability of wind speed over North America is not only dominated by El Niño/Southern Oscillation but also by other sea surface temperature variations in the tropical Pacific. This new knowledge can be useful for industry stakeholders to anticipate future periods of low wind speed.

Characteristics and formation mechanism of continuous hazes in China: a case study during the autumn of 2014 in the North China Plain

Abstract. Four extreme haze episodes occurred in October 2014 in the North China Plain (NCP). To clarify the formation mechanism of hazes in autumn, strengthened observations were conducted in Beijing from 5 October to 2 November. The meteorological parameters, satellite data, chemical compositions and optical properties of aerosols were obtained. The hazes originated from the NCP, developing in the southwest and northeast directions, with the highest concentration of PM2.5 of 469 μg m−3 in Beijing. The NCP was dominated by a weak high pressure system during the haze episode, which resulted in low surface wind speed and relatively stagnant weather. Moreover, the wind slowed down around Beijing city. The secondary aerosols NO3− was always higher than that of SO42−, which indicated the motor vehicles played a more important part in the hazes in October 2014, even though the oxidation rate from SO2 to SO42− was faster than that of NOx to NO3−. Sudden increases of the concentrations of organic matter, Cl− and BC (black carbon) before each haze episode implied that regional transport of pollutants by biomass burning was important for haze formation during autumn. A satellite map of fire points and the backward trajectories of the air masses also indicated this pollution source. The distinct decrease in the PBL (planetary boundary layer) height during four haze episodes restrained the vertical dispersion of the air pollutants. Water vapor also played a vital role in the formation of hazes by accelerating the chemical transformation of secondary pollutants, leading to hygroscopic growth of aerosols and altering the thermal balance of the atmosphere.

Analysis of a long-lasting haze episode in Nanjing, China

A long-lasting haze episode occurred in Nanjing and its surrounding areas from October 15 to 31, 2009. Aerosol physical, chemical and optical properties during this pollution event were investigated. During the long-lasting haze, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region was under the control of a high-pressure system and surface pressure gradients were extremely small. The transport and diffusion of air pollutants were suppressed by very low surface wind speed, stably stratified atmosphere and lower mixing level depth (MLD). Back trajectory analysis showed that local emission and regional transport were important in this pollution process. The average diurnal variation of Aitken mode and coarse mode particles had bimodal distribution, which was mainly influenced by diurnal variation of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and anthropogenic emissions. Accumulation mode particles were mostly influenced by diurnal variation of ABL; while new particle formation process was important for nucleation mode particles. The peak value of aerosol particle number concentrations shifted to larger particle sizes, perhaps due to the fact that the haze was favorable to accumulation mode aerosols through collision and coagulation of Aitken mode particles. The high ratio of NO3−/SO42− indicated that traffic source became more and more important in the YRD region. The average aerosol scattering coefficient was 696.7±445.4Mm−1, mainly due to particle counts within diameter intervals from 0.6 to 1.4μm that increased remarkably during the pollution process. Higher accumulation mode particle counts and higher relative humidity were the main reasons for atmospheric visibility impairment during the haze.

New criterion for sediment suspension and wind‐speed proxy in planetary atmospheres

Sediment suspension is a common and important phenomenon in planetary atmospheres. A widely‐used suspension criterion, also a proxy boundary layer wind‐speed indicator, was discredited by Mars Exploration Rover Mission results concerning sediment particle sizes in active surface bed forms. Parameterisation of a new dynamic suspension criterion based upon turbulent stress yields predicted suspension threshold conditions consistent with those inferred for Earth and predicts no suspension of sand‐grade particles for recent Martian wind velocities (at 1m height) estimated in the range 28–73 m s−1. Results for Venus imply suspension of very fine sand particles at low surface wind speeds.

Influence of a Hailstreak on Boundary Layer Evolution

Severe thunderstorms developed on 20 June 1997 and produced heavy precipitation, damaging winds, and large hail over two swaths in southeastern South Dakota. Calculations of fractional vegetation coverage (scaled from 0 to 1) based upon composite satellite data indicate that, within the hailstreak region, vegetation coverage decreased from 0.50 to near 0.25 owing to the damaging effects of hail on the growing vegetation. The northern edge of the larger hailstreak was located a few kilometers south of Chamberlain, South Dakota, a National Weather Service surface observation site. Hourly observations from Chamberlain and several nearby surface sites in South Dakota are averaged over 7 days both before and after this hail event. These observations illustrate that the late-afternoon (nighttime) temperatures are 2°C higher (2°C lower) near the hailstreak after the event than before the event. Similarly, daily average dewpoint temperatures after the event are 2.6°C lower near the hailstreak. These changes are consistent with the influences of a recently devegetated zone on changes to the surface energy budget. To explore how these hailstreaks further affected the evolution of the planetary boundary layer in this region, two model simulations are performed using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5). In the control run, climatology is used for the land surface characteristics, and hence the simulation is independent of the hailstreaks. In the hailstreak simulation (HSS), the fractional vegetation coverage and soil moisture in the hailstreak regions are modified to reflect the likely conditions within the hailstreaks. Two different days are simulated: one with low surface wind speeds and one with stronger surface wind speeds. For the low surface wind speed case, the HSS simulation produces a sea-breeze-like circulation in the boundary layer by midmorning. For the stronger surface wind speed case, this sea-breeze-like circulation does not develop in the HSS, but the simulated low-level temperatures are modified over a larger area. These results suggest that to capture and reasonably simulate the evolution of boundary layer structures, there is a need for routine daily updates of land surface information. Hailstreaks also are important to consider in the future as the focus for observational studies on nonclassical mesoscale circulations.

GPS Dropwindsonde Wind Profiles in Hurricanes and Their Operational Implications

The recent development of the global positioning system (GPS) dropwindsonde has allowed the wind and thermodynamic structure of the hurricane eyewall to be documented with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. In an attempt to assist operational hurricane forecasters in their duties, dropwindsonde data have been used in this study to document, for the first time, the mean vertical profile of wind speed in the hurricane inner core from the surface to the 700-hPa level, the level typically flown by reconnaissance aircraft. The dropwindsonde-derived mean eyewall wind profile is characterized by a broad maximum centered 500 m above the surface. In the frictional boundary layer below this broad maximum, the wind decreases nearly linearly with the logarithm of the altitude. Above the maximum, the winds decrease because of the hurricane's warm core. These two effects combine to give a surface wind that is, on average, about 90% of the 700-hPa value. The dropwindsonde observations largely confirm recent operational practices at the National Hurricane Center for the interpretation of flight-level data. Hurricane wind profiles outside of the eyewall region are characterized by a higher level of maximum wind, near 1 km, and a more constant wind speed between 700 hPa and the top of the boundary layer. Two factors that likely affect the eyewall profile structure are wind speed and vertical motion. A minimum in surface wind adjustment factor (i.e., relatively low surface wind speeds) was found when the wind near the top of the boundary layer was between 40 and 60 m s−1. At higher wind speeds, the fraction of the boundary layer wind speed found at the surface increased, contrary to expectation. Low-level downdrafts, and enhanced vertical motion generally, were also associated with higher relative surface winds. These results may be of interest to engineers concerned with building codes, to emergency managers who may be tempted to use high-rise buildings as a “refuge of last resort” in coastal areas, and to those people on locally elevated terrain. The top of a 25-story coastal high-rise in the hurricane eyewall will experience a mean wind that is about 17% higher (or one Saffir–Simpson hurricane-scale category) than the surface or advisory value. For this reason, residents who must take refuge in coastal high-rises should generally do so at the lowest levels necessary to avoid storm surge.

Investigation of air pollution distribution in Linz: case studies to evaluate a K-type diffusion model coupled with a mass-consistent wind model

An Eulerian diffusion model coupled with a refined mass consistent wind model is developed for the operational forecasting of pollution distribution in complex terrain. The model is evaluated for a city situated in complex terrain. The study is carried out for a 20×20 km 2 area surrounding Linz, one of the industrial cities of Austria. The models are initialized with routinely measured meteorological parameters and topology information derived from the Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Four case studies, representative for major pollution episodes, are presented for model evaluation. The case studies include presence of a thermally induced wind system, presence of cold front an easterly southeasterly flow and a westerly–northwesterly flow. In presence of thermally induced wind systems, the flow field is most complex and existence of a shallow mixed layer with residual layer aloft enhances the pollution levels inside the city. Second case is used to study the development of pollution distribution inside the city in presence of low-level inversions and associated with low surface wind speeds. The low wind speeds in the surface layer lead to less mechanical generation of turbulence and lateral transport. The case studies of easterly and westerly flow fields are carried out to assess the capability of model under most frequently observed meteorological situations. The model is able to reproduce the pollution distribution near the slopes. There were over prediction inside the city in presence of thermally induced wind systems and is attributed to inadequate model physics during convective case. The present model setup is found to be a useful tool for the routine forecasting of pollution and could also be tested for other complex terrains.

Meteorology and elephant infrasound at Etosha National Park, Namibia

Measured vertical profiles of temperature and wind are used to model infrasound propagation over a representative high savanna habitat typically occupied by the African elephant, Loxodonta africana, to predict calling distance and area as a function of the meteorological variables. The profiles were measured up to 300 m above the surface by tethered balloon-borne instruments in Etosha National Park, Namibia, during the late dry season. Continuous local surface layer measurements of wind and temperature at 5 and 10 m provide the context for interpreting the boundary layer profiles. The fast field program (FFP) was used to predict the directionally dependent attenuation of a 15-Hz signal under these measured atmospheric conditions. The attenuation curves are used to estimate elephant infrasonic calling range and calling area. Directionality and calling range are shown to be controlled by the diurnal cycle in wind (shear) and temperature. Low-level nocturnal radiative temperature inversions and low surface wind speeds make the early evening the optimum time for the transmission of low-frequency sound at Etosha, with range at a maximum and directionality at a minimum. As the night progresses, a nocturnal low-level wind maximum (jet) forms, reducing upwind range and calling area. The estimated calling area drops rapidly after sunrise with the destruction of the inversion. Daytime calling areas are usually less than 50 km2, while early evening calling areas frequently exceed 200 km2 and are much less directional. This marked diurnal cycle will be present in any dry savanna climate, with variations due to local topography and climate. Calling range and low-frequency sound propagation cannot be effectively understood without knowledge of meteorological controls.

High resolution observations of Weddell Sea surface currents using ERS-l SAR sea-ice motion vectors

Abstract Two areas of the Weddell Sea, one in the south and one in the west, were chosen for a preliminary investigation of sea-ice motion tracking from ERSt Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images during the Austral summer. Only a small number of images were processed, so a manual tracking method was used. In the 3–day period between SAR images the atmosphere warmed near the surface, which led to significant changes in radar backscatter from, and thus in contrast between, ice floes and the areas between them. It was therefore not always possible to track features from one image to the next. The tracked features were clearly identified in images which were sub-sampled at onesixteenth of the full resolution available. In the southern Weddell Sea images, many large floes were present which allowed a quite detailed pattern of the surface water circulation to be mapped as the ice motion was predominantly forced by the ocean currents during a period of low surface wind speeds. The observed circulation pattern ag...

Theoretical heights of buoyant convection above open leads in the winter Arctic pack ice cover

A fetch‐dependent boundary‐layer model, driven by observed temperature sounding data, is used to examine theoretical heights of buoyant convection (H) above open leads in the wintertime pack ice of the central Arctic. Assuming wet adiabatic ascent with no entrainment or friction, H is estimated as the height at which the model‐predicted equivalent potential temperature at saturation above a lead (θel) intersects with the same value of equivalent potential temperature at saturation (θe) derived from vertical sounding profiles. H increases with increasing lead width. For a 1000‐m lead, the widest which can be reasonably expected for the central Arctic, the median value of H is approximately 1000 m, slightly below the median top of the low‐level Arctic temperature inversion layer. While H shows large variability, events of convection up to 4 km, as recently observed from lidar backscatter data, appear to be fairly rare. First, these events require an open lead of at least 10,000 m. Second, while H tends to be largest under conditions of low surface wind speed, low surface temperature, and a weak low‐level temperature inversion, this combination appears to be atypical of Arctic conditions. Third, while the meteorological conditions that should favor the development of open leads tend to minimize H, conditions favoring large H are also those in which any newly developed leads will quickly ice over.

Flights after sunset by the Australian plagye locust, Chortoicetes terminifera (Walk.) and their significance in dispersal and migration

Adult C. terminifera take off shortly after sunset, climb steeply into the air, and fly out of sight. This steep take-off differs from that of locusts that take flight during the day. One important factor which induces take-off appears to be decreasing light intensity. Take-off has been recorded at air temperatures as low as 17*5"C, relative humidities that ranged from 9 to 70%, and surface wind speeds (at 2 m) which varied from 1 .7 to 21 -2 ft/sec. Initially the locusts take off into wind. At low surface wind speeds individuals subsequently fly out of sight, dispersing in various directions, but at winds in excess of 6 ftlsec the locusts orient and fly downwind. Hundreds of individuals were seen flying away from concentrations of sexually immature adults on successive evenings in 1969. It appears that flight occurs on practically every evening when temperatures are suitable. Significant numbers of C. terminifera appear at lights during the night only during disturbed weather caused by the approach and passage of depressions. In view of the random orientation of flying locusts with respect to wind at low wind speeds, it is suggested that under dry anticyclonic conditions with slight pressure gradients flights after sunset would lead to widespread dispersal, i.e. scattering of individuals over large areas. The downwind orientation at higher wind speeds, which would result in greater displacement, is associated with the approach and passage of depressions (low pressure systems) and the development of storms. In addition to this the increased turbulence of the winds accelerating ahead of the depression (mainly northerlies) and the convergent air flow from the opposite quarter behind the depression would lead to concentration of the locusts in flight. The hypothesis outlined above would explain the striking changes in distribution and densities that frequently occur among populations of adult C. terminifera. Dispersal under dry anticyclonic conditions, and concentration and mass displacement during periods of disturbed weather during which rain-storms may produce conditions favourable for breeding, play an important part in the survival of C. terminifera. In the major part of its distribution area the probability of effective rain in any particular locality is low.