Planetary Boundary Layer Modeling Study

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"Planetary Boundary Layer Modeling Study" One of the important aspects of modeling the atmosphere for numerical weather prediction, synoptic storms analyses, and climate studies, involves the representation of the physical processes in the planetary boundary layer (pbl), the atmospheric layer closest to the surface. Between the gross simplifications of bulk-type constant coefficients and the sophistication, but computationally high-cost, of higher order closure of the turbulence equations, there is room for improvement. The principal investigator's pbl model is a good candidate for exploring this area. It is a two-level model that depends on the atmospheric stratification, surface roughness, and baroclinicity. Winds obtained with the model can be used to estimate the surface winds and wind stresses needed to determine the fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture into the boundary layer. Under this award, the principal investigator hopes to demonstrate that his relatively simple analytical pbl model can provide estimates of the boundary properties that are comparable to results obtained with very complex pbl models, but with considerable savings in computations. The applicability of the model results will also be tested by comparing them with actual measurements of the boundary layer under a variety of atmospheric conditions. Finally, the principal investigator will evaluate the role that large scale eddies play in the boundary layer. This research is important because a full understanding of the extremely complex processes of the atmospheric boundary layer, and their representation in numerical models, continues to elude the atmospheric sciences community.