Vertical Mixing Of Momentum Research Articles

Atmospheric Fronts Shaping the (Sub)Mesoscale SST‐Wind Coupling Over the Southern Ocean: Observational Case

AbstractSurface wind divergence is largely modulated by the sea surface temperature (SST) gradient through vertical momentum mixing and pressure adjustment. Here, the two mechanisms affecting the coupling strength between SST gradient and surface wind divergence are examined during an atmospheric front passage in the Southern Ocean. This event is also recorded by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). The reanalysis product (ERA5) revealed that downward momentum mixing is the dominant mechanism on the daily time scale. The coupling strength during the day when the atmospheric front passed over declined by 75%, compared to the adjacent days. This implies that the atmospheric front can partially attenuate the SST gradient effect on the surface wind divergence. Furthermore, a decade‐long statistic also showed a decreasing trend of SST‐wind coupling when the atmospheric fronts occur more. Additionally, after removing the mesoscale weather variation, the USV observations showed a remarkable SST imprint on the atmospheric boundary layer in the oceanic submesoscale regime, which denotes the scale below the deformation radius (∼16 km). The submesoscale air‐sea interaction processes also displayed decreased air‐sea coupling strength during atmospheric front passage. This is possible as the vertical velocity induced by the atmospheric front can compensate for the daily averaged uprising vertical velocity due to surface wind convergence. This analysis indicates that the atmospheric front can diminish the coupling between the SST gradient and surface wind divergence, which contrasts the existing statistical results showing that atmospheric fronts tend to enhance such coupling.

Oceanic Frontal Turbulence

Abstract Upper-ocean turbulence results from a complex set of interactions between submesoscale turbulence and local boundary layer processes. The interaction between larger-scale currents and turbulent fluctuations is two-way: large-scale shearing motions generate turbulence, and the resulting coherent turbulent fluxes of momentum and buoyancy feed back onto the larger flow. Here we examine the evolution and role of turbulence in the intensification, instability, arrest, and decay (i.e., the life cycle) of a dense filament undergoing frontogenesis in the upper-ocean boundary layer, i.e., cold filament frontogenesis (CFF). This phenomenon is examined in large-eddy simulations (LES) with resolved turbulent motions in large horizontal domains using 109 grid points. The boundary layer turbulence is generated by surface buoyancy loss (cooling flux) and is allowed to freely interact with an initially imposed cold filament, and the evolution is followed through the frontal life cycle. Two control parameters are explored: the initial frontal strength M2 = ∂xb and the surface flux . The former is more consequent: initially weaker fronts sharpen more slowly and become arrested at a later time with a larger width. This reflects a competition between the frontogenetic rate induced by the secondary circulation associated with vertical momentum mixing by the turbulence and the instability rate for the along-filament shear flow. The frontal turbulence is energized by the shear production of the latter, is nonlocally transported away from the primary production zone at the filament centerline, and cascades to dissipation in a broad region surrounding the filament. The turbulent momentum fluxes arresting the frontogenesis are supported across a wide range of horizontal scales.

Spatiotemporal variations of 100 m wind in Mongolia and implications for wind energy resources

AbstractMongolia is a high‐altitude inland country, which experiences strong near‐surface winds that could be valuable resources for wind power generation. In this study, we examine the spatiotemporal variations of 100 m wind and assess wind energy potential in Mongolia using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis version 5 (ERA5) data during 1979–2020. Mongolia exhibits two peaks in the monthly variation of 100 m wind, the higher peak in April and the lower peak in November. The eastern and southern (ES) region of the country is characterized by relatively high wind speed, night‐time diurnal maximum of wind speed and relatively small amplitudes of monthly and diurnal variations of wind speed. This region is classified to have good potential for wind energy development with a long mean episode length. On the other hand, the western and northern (WN) region is characterized by relatively low wind speed, afternoon diurnal maximum of wind speed and relatively large amplitudes of monthly and diurnal variations of wind speed. This region is classified to have less wind energy potential. Four hotspots which have the greatest wind energy potential are found near the eastern border of Mongolia, south of the Gobi‐Altai Mountains, near the southern border of Mongolia and in the southern region. Two principal modes of spatiotemporal variations of 100 m wind speed are obtained using the cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function (CSEOF) analysis method. The first CSEOF mode shows a spatial contrast between western and eastern Mongolia and is positively amplified in winter and negatively amplified in summer, which is associated with the seasonal change of the East Asian monsoon. The second mode is amplified in spring and autumn and shows mountain–basin contrasts that are reversed diurnally, which may be associated with the mountain–plains solenoid circulations and resultant vertical mixing of momentum.

A Simple Coupled Model of the Wind–Evaporation–SST Feedback with a Role for Stability

Abstract The wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback describes a coupled mechanism by which an anomalous meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the tropics evolves over time. As commonly posed, the (positive) WES feedback depends critically on the atmospheric response to SST anomalies being governed by a process akin to that argued by Lindzen and Nigam in 1987, and omits an alternative process by which SST anomalies modulate surface wind speed through vertical momentum mixing as proposed by Wallace et al. and Hayes et al. in 1989. A simple model is developed that captures the essential coupled dynamics of the WES feedback as commonly posed, while also allowing for momentum entrainment in response to evolving SST anomalies. The evolution of the coupled system depends strongly on which effects are enabled in the model. When both effects are accounted for in idealized cases near the equator, the initial anomalous meridional SST gradient grows over a time scale of a few months but is damped within one year. The sign and magnitude of the WES feedback depend on latitude within the tropics and exhibit hemispheric asymmetry. When constrained by realistic profiles of prevailing zonal wind, the model predicts that the WES feedback near the equator is stronger during boreal winter, while the domain over which it is positive is broader during boreal summer, and that low-frequency climate variability can also modulate the strength and structure of the WES feedback. These insights may aid in the interpretation of coupled climate behavior in observations and more complex models. Significance Statement Regional climate variability on time scales from months to decades, including El Niño, relies heavily on feedbacks between the atmosphere and the ocean in which some initial change in the environment is either amplified or damped over time. Several conceptual models for such feedbacks have been devised over the years to explain the coupled climate behavior seen in observations and computer simulations. A rather ubiquitous one is called the wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback, but the typical phrasing of it does not incorporate a potentially important influence of ocean temperature changes on the stability of the atmosphere above it. This study adds that effect to the WES feedback framework and examines climate variability through the lens of the augmented conceptual model.

Observation and Simulation of Wind Speed and Wind Power Density over Bac Lieu Region

In this study, the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model was used to simulate and investigate diurnal and annual variations of wind speed and wind power density over Southern Vietnam at 2‐km horizontal resolution for two years (2016 and 2017). The model initial and boundary conditions are from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Final Analyses (FNL). Observation data for two years at 20 m height at Bac Lieu station were used for model bias correction and investigating diurnal and annual variation of wind speeds. The results show that the WRF model overestimates wind speeds. After bias correction, the model reasonably well simulates wind speeds over the research area. Wind speed and wind power density show much higher values at levels of 50–200 m above ground levels than near ground (20 m) level and significantly higher near the coastal regions than inland. Wind speed has significant annual and diurnal cycles. Both annual and diurnal cycles of wind speeds were well simulated by the model. Wind speed is much stronger during daytime than at nighttime. Low-level wind speed reaches the maximum at about 14 LT to 15 LT when the vertical momentum mixing is highly active. Wind speeds over the eastern coastal region of Southern Vietnam are much stronger in winter than in summer due to two main reasons, including (1) stronger large-scale wind speed in winter than in summer and (2) funnel effect creating a local maximum wind speed over the nearshore ocean which then transports high-momentum air inland in winter.

Intermittent Frontogenesis in the Alboran Sea

AbstractWe present a phenomenological description and dynamical analysis of the Alboran fronts using a realistic simulation at submesoscale resolution. The study is focused on east Alboran fronts emerging within relatively strong flows that separate from the Spanish coast into the basin interior. Despite modest lateral shifting associated with the position of the Alboran anticyclonic gyres and variations in intensity, these fronts present a similar structure and dynamical configuration as the climatological Almeria–Oran front. The statistical analysis of our solution shows that strained-induced frontogenesis is a recurrent submesoscale mechanism associated with these fronts, and the process is assessed in terms of the advective Lagrangian frontogenetic tendencies associated with buoyancy and velocity horizontal gradients. Intermittency in their strength and patterns is indicative of high variability in the occurrence of active frontogenesis in association with the secondary (overturning) circulation across the frontal gradient. As a result, we find many episodes with strong surface fronts that do not have much associated downwelling. Frontogenesis and the associated secondary circulation are further explored during two particular frontal events, both showing strong downwelling of (1) cm s−1 extending down into the pycnocline. A frontogenetic contribution of turbulent vertical momentum mixing to the secondary circulation is identified in the easternmost region during the cold season, when the dynamics are strongly influenced by the intrusion of the salty Northern Current. The background vertical velocity fields observed during the analyzed events indicate other currents in the submesoscale range, including tidal and topographic internal waves.

Characteristics and Dynamics of Density Fronts over the Inner to Midshelf under Weak Wind Conditions

AbstractHere, we explore the kinematics and dynamics of coastal density fronts (within 10 km from shore and <30-m depth), identified using an edge detection algorithm, in a realistic high-resolution model of the San Diego Bight with relatively weak winds and small freshwater input. The density fronts have lengths spanning 4–10 km and surface density gradients spanning 2–20 × 10−4 kg m−4. Cross-shore-oriented fronts are more likely with northward subtidal flow and are 1/3 as numerous as alongshore-oriented fronts, which are more likely with onshore surface baroclinic diurnal flow. Using a subset of the cross-shore fronts, decomposed into cross-front mean and perturbation components, an ensemble front is created. The ensemble cross-front mean flow is largely geostrophic in the cross- and alongfront directions. The ensemble cross-shore front extends several kilometers from shore, with a distinct linear front axis and downwelling (upwelling) on the dense (light) side of the front, convergent perturbation cross-front flow within the upper 5 m, strengthening the ensemble front. Vertical mixing of momentum is weak, counter to the turbulent thermal wind mechanism. The ensemble cross-shore front resembles a gravity current and is generated by a convergent strain field acting on the large-scale density field. The ensemble front is bounded by the shoreline and is alongfront geostrophic and cross-front ageostrophic. This contrasts with the cross-front geostrophic and alongfront ageostrophic balances of classic deformation frontogenesis, but is consistent with semigeostrophic coastal circulation.

On the Upper-Ocean Vertical Eddy Heat Transport in the Kuroshio Extension. Part I: Variability and Dynamics

AbstractOceanic eddies play a crucial role in transporting heat from the subsurface to surface ocean. However, dynamics responsible for the vertical eddy heat transport QT have not been systematically understood, especially in the mixed layer of western boundary current extensions characterized by the coincidence of strong eddy activities and air–sea interactions. In this paper, the winter (December–March) QT in the Kuroshio Extension is simulated using a 1-km regional ocean model. An omega equation based on the geostrophic momentum approximation and generalized to include the viscous and diabatic effects is derived and used to decompose the contribution of QT from different dynamics. The simulated QT exhibits a pronounced positive peak around the center of the mixed layer (~60 m). The value of QT there exhibits multi-time-scale variations with irregularly occurring extreme events superimposed on a slowly varying seasonal cycle. The proposed omega equation shows good skills in reproducing QT, capturing its spatial and temporal variations. Geostrophic deformation and vertical mixing of momentum are found to be the two major processes generating QT in the mixed layer with the former and the latter accounting for its seasonal variation and extreme events, respectively. The mixed layer instability and the net effect of frontogenesis/frontolysis contribute comparably to the geostrophic deformation induced QT. The contribution of QT from vertical mixing of momentum can be understood on the basis of turbulent thermal wind balance.

Acoustic Observations of Kelvin‐Helmholtz Billows on an Estuarine Lutocline

AbstractKelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability plays an important role in turbulent mixing in deep oceans, coastal seas, and estuaries. Though widely observed and studied in thermohaline‐stratified waters, KH instability has only rarely been observed in sediment‐stratified environments. For the first time, we present direct observations of KH billows on an estuarine lutocline by combining echosounder images with velocity and density measurements. The interaction between velocity shear and the density stratification induced by suspended sediments initiated shear instabilities near the bed, indicated by gradient Richardson number (Ri) < 0.25 in the early stages of the observed billows. Once formed, the instabilities enhanced the vertical mixing of momentum, reducing vertical shear and elevating Ri. Linear instability analysis using measured velocity and density profiles well predicts the vertical location and spatial characteristics of the observed billows. These instabilities are believed to contribute to the vertical mixing, entrainment, and transport of estuarine and coastal sediments.

Towards a physics-based understanding of fruit frost protection using wind machines

Wind machines are used in the agricultural sector to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of night frost in spring. In this study we aim to quantify the impact of wind machine operation on the local temperature field in an orchard. To this end, a field experiment is conducted and experimental analysis is combined with numerical simulation studies in order to assess the functional relations between wind machine performance and the dominating physical processes occurring during radiative frost events.Experimental observations showed that the temperature response strongly depends on the radial distance to the fan and the height above the surface. In agreement with previous studies, the wind machine was able to achieve rotation-averaged temperature increases of up to 50% of the inversion strength ( ≈ 3 K) in an area of 3–5 ha at 1 m height. Furthermore, it was observed that even weak ambient winds (<1 m/s) already may cause strong upwind-downwind asymmetries in the protected area, the downwind area being larger.The numerical model, inspired by the field experiment, showed similar spatial temperature responses as compared to observations. Interestingly, it was found that slower rotation times of the wind machine (3 to 6 min) lead to a significant increase of affected area, while the temperature enhancement itself stayed relatively constant. Variation of the horizontal tilt angle showed that, in our model, temperature enhancement was maximized between 8∘ and 16∘. This nearly horizontal flow already facilitates efficient vertical mixing of momentum and heat, presumably due to generation of shear instabilities at the lower edge of the jet. Finally, like in the observations also the numerical result showed strong upwind-downwind asymmetry in the affected area due to background wind.

Baroclinic Instability with a Simple Model for Vertical Mixing

AbstractHere, we examine baroclinic instability in the presence of vertical mixing in an idealized setting. Specifically, we use a simple model for vertical mixing of momentum and buoyancy and expand the buoyancy and vorticity in a series for small Rossby numbers. A flow in subinertial mixed layer (SML) balance (see the study by Young in 1994) exhibits a normal mode linear instability, which is studied here using linear stability analysis and numerical simulations. The most unstable modes grow by converting potential energy associated with the basic state into kinetic energy of the growing perturbations. However, unlike the inviscid Eady problem, the dominant energy balance is between the buoyancy flux and the energy dissipated by vertical mixing. Vertical mixing reduces the growth rate and changes the orientation of the most unstable modes with respect to the front. By comparing with numerical simulations, we find that the predicted scale of the most unstable mode matches the simulations for small Rossby numbers while the growth rate and orientation agree for a broader range of parameters. A stability analysis of a basic state in SML balance using the inviscid QG equations shows that the angle of the unstable modes is controlled by the orientation of the SML flow, while stratification associated with an advection/diffusion balance controls the size of growing perturbations for small Ekman numbers and/or large Rossby numbers. These results imply that baroclinic instability can be inhibited by small-scale turbulence when the Ekman number is sufficiently large and might explain the lack of submesoscale eddies in observations and numerical models of the ocean surface mixed layer during summer.

SST front anchored mesoscale feature of surface wind in the southern Indian Ocean

Using 28-year satellite-borne Special Sensor Microwave Imager observations, features of high-wind frequency (HWF) over the southern Indian Ocean are investigated. Climatology maps show that high winds occur frequently during austral winter, located in the open ocean south of Polar Front in subpolar region, warm flank of the Subantarctic Front between 55°E–78°E, and south of Cape Agulhas, where westerly wind prevails. The strong instability of marine atmospheric boundary layer accompanied by increased sensible and latent heat fluxes on the warmer flank acts to enhance the vertical momentum mixing, thus accelerate the surface winds. Effects of sea surface temperature (SST) front can even reach the entire troposphere by deep convection. HWF also shows distinct interannual variability, which is associated with the Southern Annual Mode (SAM). During positive phase of the SAM, HWF has positive anomalies over the open ocean south of Polar Front, while has negative anomalies north of the SST front. A phase shift of HWF happened around 2001, which is likely related to the reduction of storm tracks and poleward shift of westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere.

Frontogenesis and frontal arrest of a dense filament in the oceanic surface boundary layer

The evolution of upper ocean currents involves a set of complex, poorly understood interactions between submesoscale turbulence (e.g. density fronts and filaments and coherent vortices) and smaller-scale boundary-layer turbulence. Here we simulate the lifecycle of a cold (dense) filament undergoing frontogenesis in the presence of turbulence generated by surface stress and/or buoyancy loss. This phenomenon is examined in large-eddy simulations with resolved turbulent motions in large horizontal domains using${\sim}10^{10}$grid points. Steady winds are oriented in directions perpendicular or parallel to the filament axis. Due to turbulent vertical momentum mixing, cold filaments generate a potent two-celled secondary circulation in the cross-filament plane that is frontogenetic, sharpens the cross-filament buoyancy and horizontal velocity gradients and blocks Ekman buoyancy flux across the cold filament core towards the warm filament edge. Within less than a day, the frontogenesis is arrested at a small width,${\approx}100~\text{m}$, primarily by an enhancement of the turbulence through a small submesoscale, horizontal shear instability of the sharpened filament, followed by a subsequent slow decay of the filament by further turbulent mixing. The boundary-layer turbulence is inhomogeneous and non-stationary in relation to the evolving submesoscale currents and density stratification. The occurrence of frontogenesis and arrest are qualitatively similar with varying stress direction or with convective cooling, but the detailed evolution and flow structure differ among the cases. Thus submesoscale filament frontogenesis caused by boundary-layer turbulence, frontal arrest by frontal instability and frontal decay by forward energy cascade, and turbulent mixing are generic processes in the upper ocean.

Large scale structures in LES of an oscillating open channel flow under the influence of surface cooling

Large-eddy simulation (LES) of open channel flow driven by an oscillating pressure gradient with zero surface shear stress was performed. The flow is representative of a tidal boundary layer in the coastal ocean under weak or no wind forcing. For a neutrally stratified water column, during peak pressure gradient forcing or peak tide, the flow develops large scale structures secondary to the mean flow consisting of streamwise-elongated, counter-rotating cells engulfing the bulk of the water column. These structures are similar to the classical Couette cells found in turbulent Couette flow driven by parallel no-slip plates moving in opposite direction. Application of a constant cooling flux of 200 W m−2 at the surface of the open channel flow with an adiabatic bottom wall leads to what we term convective supercells consisting of streamwise-elongated cells of greater intensity and cross-stream width than Couette cells. The signature of the convective supercells is observed even during times when the oscillating mean flow is decelerating, unlike the signature of Couette cells in the case without surface cooling. The signature of the cells is visualized and quantified in terms of instantaneous fields such as streamwise-averaged velocity fluctuations, streamwise velocity averaged over streamwise and cross-stream directions and turbulent structure revealed through depth trajectories of Lumley invariant maps. Investigation of these convective supercells is deemed important due to their strong influence on vertical mixing of momentum and scalars and their potential role in determining the wake behind turbines in tidal flows.

Observations of relative humidity in the near-wake of a wind turbine using an instrumented unmanned aerial system

ABSTRACTSimulation, modeling, and limited observations have shown that wind farms have an impact on the near-surface atmospheric boundary layer as turbulent wakes enhance vertical mixing of momentum, heat, and moisture. The few observational datasets that do exist lack high spatial resolution due to their use of a limited number of meteorological sensors or remote sensing techniques. This study utilizes an instrumented small unmanned aerial system to gather high-resolution in situ field measurements in order to differentially map near-wake changes to relative humidity. Observations show that downstream relative humidity is differentially altered in the vertical, spanwise and downstream directions.

Oceanic eddy-driven atmospheric secondary circulation in the winter Kuroshio Extension region

In the winter Kuroshio Extension region, the atmospheric response to oceanic eddies is studied using reanalysis and satellite data. The detected eddies in this region are mostly under the force of northwesterly wind, with the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly located within the eddy. By examining the patterns of surface wind divergence, three types of atmospheric response are identified. The first type, which occupies 60%, is characterized by significant sea surface wind convergence and divergence at the edge and a vertical secondary circulation (SC) aloft, supporting the “vertical momentum mixing mechanism”. The SCs on anticyclonic eddies (AEs) can reach up to 300 hPa, but those on cyclonic eddies (CEs) are limited to 700 hPa. This can be explained by analyzing vertical eddy heat transport: When northwesterly wind passes the warmer center of an AE, it is from the cold to warm sea surface, resulting in stronger evaporation and convection, triggering stronger upward velocity and moist static heat flux. For the cases of CEs, the wind blows from warm to cold, which means less instability and less evaporation, resulting in weaker SCs. The second type, which occupies 10%, is characterized by divergence and a sea level pressure anomaly in the center, supported by the “pressure adjustment mechanism”. The other 30% are mostly weak eddies, and the atmospheric variation aloft is unrelated to the SST anomaly. Our work provides evidence for the different atmospheric responses over oceanic eddies and explains why SCs over AEs are much stronger than those over CEs by vertical heat flux analysis.

LES and RANS simulation of wind- and wave-forced oceanic turbulent boundary layers in shallow water with wall modeling

Abstract Large-eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation of wind and wave forced oceanic turbulence in unstratified shallow water are performed in order to investigate the influence of wall modeling on results. The LES is also used to investigate the dependence of results on downwind and crosswind lengths of the computational domain, representative of a shallow shelf coastal ocean (10-to-30 m deep) unaffected by lateral boundaries. In an unstratified water column, wind and surface gravity-wave forcing generate Langmuir turbulence with largest scales consisting of full-depth Langmuir circulation (LC), counter rotating vortices aligned in the direction of the wind. The LC is known to enhance vertical mixing of momentum throughout the bulk flow, inducing a deviation of the near-bottom mean downwind velocity from the classical log law. In RANS simulations, a traditional wall treatment based on the assumption that the flow satisfies the classical law of the wall is not able to lead to a good representation of the deviation from the log law caused by LC without fine-tuning of one of the coefficients in the law of the wall. An alternative RANS approach is developed via a recent wall treatment presented in [1] based on weak imposition of the no-slip bottom boundary condition, leading to an accurate representation of the log-law deviation induced by the turbulence without having to tune input coefficients. From that standpoint, this weak enforcement of bottom boundary conditions is more robust and better suited for predictive modeling of flows with full-depth LC. In the case of LES, it is found that the deviation of the downwind velocity from the log law caused by the LC is well-resolved without the need to fine tune coefficients in traditional wall treatments. Finally, the use of wall modeling facilitates simulations with expanded domains over horizontal directions (downwind and crosswind). These expanded domains allow resolution of multiple interacting full-depth Langmuir cells. It is found that the horizontal size of the domain does not greatly impact depth profiles of turbulence statistics such as mean velocity and root-mean-square of velocity.

Implementation in the NCEP GFS of a Hybrid Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-Flux (EDMF) Boundary Layer Parameterization with Dissipative Heating and Modified Stable Boundary Layer Mixing

Abstract The current operational eddy-diffusivity countergradient (EDCG) planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme in the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) tends to underestimate the PBL growth in the convective boundary layer (CBL). To improve CBL growth, an eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF) PBL scheme is developed, where the nonlocal transport by large turbulent eddies is represented by a mass-flux (MF) scheme and the local transport by small eddies is represented by an eddy-diffusivity (ED) scheme. For the vertical momentum mixing, the MF scheme is modified to include the effect of the updraft-induced pressure gradient force. While the EDMF scheme displays better CBL growth than the EDCG scheme, it tends to overproduce the amount of low clouds and degrades wind vector forecasts over the tropical ocean where strongly unstable PBLs are rarely found. In order not to degrade the forecast skill in the tropics, a hybrid scheme is developed, where the EDMF scheme is applied only for the strongly unstable PBL, while the EDCG scheme is used for the weakly unstable PBL. Along with the hybrid EDMF scheme, the heating by turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation is parameterized to reduce an energy imbalance in the GFS. To enhance a too weak vertical turbulent mixing for weakly and moderately stable conditions, the current local scheme in the stable boundary layer (SBL) is modified to use an eddy-diffusivity profile method. The hybrid EDMF PBL scheme with TKE dissipative heating and modified SBL mixing led to significant improvements in some key medium-range weather forecast metrics and was operationally implemented into the NCEP GFS in January 2015.

Quasigeostrophic Diagnosis of Mixed Layer Dynamics Embedded in a Mesoscale Turbulent Field

AbstractA quasigeostrophic model is developed to diagnose the three-dimensional circulation, including the vertical velocity, in the upper ocean from high-resolution observations of sea surface height and buoyancy. The formulation for the adiabatic component departs from the classical surface quasigeostrophic framework considered before since it takes into account the stratification within the surface mixed layer that is usually much weaker than that in the ocean interior. To achieve this, the model approximates the ocean with two constant stratification layers: a finite-thickness surface layer (or the mixed layer) and an infinitely deep interior layer. It is shown that the leading-order adiabatic circulation is entirely determined if both the surface streamfunction and buoyancy anomalies are considered. The surface layer further includes a diabatic dynamical contribution. Parameterization of diabatic vertical velocities is based on their restoring impacts of the thermal wind balance that is perturbed by turbulent vertical mixing of momentum and buoyancy. The model skill in reproducing the three-dimensional circulation in the upper ocean from surface data is checked against the output of a high-resolution primitive equation numerical simulation.

Toward a K-Profile Parameterization of Langmuir Turbulence in Shallow Coastal Shelves

AbstractInteraction between the wind-driven shear current and the Stokes drift velocity induced by surface gravity waves gives rise to Langmuir turbulence in the upper ocean. Langmuir turbulence consists of Langmuir circulation (LC) characterized by a wide range of scales. In unstratified shallow water, the largest scales of Langmuir turbulence engulf the entire water column and thus are referred to as full-depth LC. Large-eddy simulations (LESs) of Langmuir turbulence with full-depth LC in a wind-driven shear current have revealed that vertical mixing due to LC erodes the bottom log-law velocity profile, inducing a profile resembling a wake law. Furthermore, in the interior of the water column, two sources of Reynolds shear stress, turbulent (nonlocal) transport and local Stokes drift shear production, can combine to lead to negative mean velocity shear. Meanwhile, near the surface, Stokes drift shear serves to intensify small-scale eddies leading to enhanced vertical mixing and disruption of the surface log law. A K-profile parameterization (KPP) of the Reynolds shear stress comprising local and nonlocal components is introduced, capturing these basic mechanisms by which Langmuir turbulence in unstratified shallow water impacts the vertical mixing of momentum. Single-water-column, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations with the new parameterization are presented, showing good agreement with LES in terms of mean velocity. Results show that coefficients in the KPP may be parameterized based on attributes of the full-depth LC.