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Investigating the Impact of Surface Heterogeneity on the Convective Boundary Layer Over Urban Areas Through Coupled Large-Eddy Simulation and Remote SensingLarge-eddy Simulation (LES) was used to study convective boundary layer (CBL) flow through suburban regions with both large and small scale heterogeneities in surface temperature. Constant remotely sensed surface temperatures were applied at the surface boundary at resolutions of 10 m, 90 m, 200 m, and 1 km. Increasing the surface resolution from 1 km to 200 m had the most significant impact on the mean and turbulent flow characteristics as the larger scale heterogeneities became resolved. While previous studies concluded that scales of heterogeneity much smaller than the CBL inversion height have little impact on the CBL characteristics, we found that further increasing the surface resolution (resolving smaller scale heterogeneities) results in an increase in mean surface heat flux, thermal blending height, and potential temperature profile. The results of this study will help to better inform sub-grid parameterization for meso-scale meteorological models. The simulation tool developed through this study (combining LES and high resolution remotely sensed surface conditions) is a significant step towards future studies on the micro-scale meteorology in urban areas.
Document ID
20120002861
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Dominguez, Anthony (California Univ. San Diego, CA, United States)
Kleissl, Jan P. (California Univ. San Diego, CA, United States)
Luvall, Jeffrey C. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
December 5, 2011
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
M11-0943
Meeting Information
Meeting: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: December 5, 2011
End Date: December 9, 2011
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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