Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Linking Boundary Layer Circulations and Surface Processes during FIFE 89. Part II: Maintenance of Secondary Circulation

Mickey M-K. Wai Department of Meteorology and Supercomputer Computations Research Institute, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Search for other papers by Mickey M-K. Wai in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
and
Eric A. Smith Department of Meteorology and Supercomputer Computations Research Institute, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Search for other papers by Eric A. Smith in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Apr 1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1998)055<1260:LBLCAS>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
1260–1276
Restricted access

Abstract

Land–atmosphere interactions are examined for three different synoptic situations during a 21-day period in the course of the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment 1989 to better understand the relationship between biophysical feedback processes, boundary layer structure, and circulations in the boundary layer. The objective is to understand how the secondary circulation discussed in Part I of this paper was able to sustain itself throughout the duration of the 1989 intensive field campaign. The study is based on diagnostic analysis of measurements obtained from a network of surface meteorology and energy budget stations, augmented with high vertical resolution radiosonde measurements. Shallow convection associated with an undisturbed boundary layer situation and rainfall occurring during two different disturbed boundary layer situations—one associated with a surface trough, the other with the passage of a cold front—led to markedly different impacts on the surface layer and the boundary layer recovery timescale. In the undisturbed case, the growth of a cloud layer produced a negative feedback on the boundary layer by stabilizing the surface layer, and cutting off the turbulence transport of heat and moisture into the subcloud layer. The deficits in heat and moisture then led to cloud dissipation. During the surface trough development and cold front passage events, rainfall reaching the surface led to the collapse of the surface layer, decrease of surface and subsurface soil temperatures, depressed sensible heating, and a slow reduction and even temporary termination of evapotranspiration. After the rains subsided, the boundary layer recovery process began with vigorous evapotranspiration rates drying the upper soil layers on a timescale of 1–2 days. During this period, 55%–65% of the net surface available heating was used for evapotranspiration, whereas only 30%–35% went directly into boundary layer heating. As the near-surface soil moisture dropped, surface sensible heating became more important in influencing boundary layer energetics. The boundary layer required approximately two days to recover to its initial temperature in the case of the surface trough. After passage of the cold front, both the soil and boundary layer cooled and dried due to cold temperature advection. Evapotranspiration rates remained relatively large for about two days after the frontal passage. The boundary layer had not completely recovered by the end of the intensive data collection period after the frontal passage, so recovery time was at least a week. The analysis shows that with the exception of three days during the surface trough event, and two or three days during the frontal passage event, the surface-driven secondary circulation persisted.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Eric A. Smith, Department of Meteorology, The Florida State University, 306 Love Bldg., Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520.

Abstract

Land–atmosphere interactions are examined for three different synoptic situations during a 21-day period in the course of the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment 1989 to better understand the relationship between biophysical feedback processes, boundary layer structure, and circulations in the boundary layer. The objective is to understand how the secondary circulation discussed in Part I of this paper was able to sustain itself throughout the duration of the 1989 intensive field campaign. The study is based on diagnostic analysis of measurements obtained from a network of surface meteorology and energy budget stations, augmented with high vertical resolution radiosonde measurements. Shallow convection associated with an undisturbed boundary layer situation and rainfall occurring during two different disturbed boundary layer situations—one associated with a surface trough, the other with the passage of a cold front—led to markedly different impacts on the surface layer and the boundary layer recovery timescale. In the undisturbed case, the growth of a cloud layer produced a negative feedback on the boundary layer by stabilizing the surface layer, and cutting off the turbulence transport of heat and moisture into the subcloud layer. The deficits in heat and moisture then led to cloud dissipation. During the surface trough development and cold front passage events, rainfall reaching the surface led to the collapse of the surface layer, decrease of surface and subsurface soil temperatures, depressed sensible heating, and a slow reduction and even temporary termination of evapotranspiration. After the rains subsided, the boundary layer recovery process began with vigorous evapotranspiration rates drying the upper soil layers on a timescale of 1–2 days. During this period, 55%–65% of the net surface available heating was used for evapotranspiration, whereas only 30%–35% went directly into boundary layer heating. As the near-surface soil moisture dropped, surface sensible heating became more important in influencing boundary layer energetics. The boundary layer required approximately two days to recover to its initial temperature in the case of the surface trough. After passage of the cold front, both the soil and boundary layer cooled and dried due to cold temperature advection. Evapotranspiration rates remained relatively large for about two days after the frontal passage. The boundary layer had not completely recovered by the end of the intensive data collection period after the frontal passage, so recovery time was at least a week. The analysis shows that with the exception of three days during the surface trough event, and two or three days during the frontal passage event, the surface-driven secondary circulation persisted.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Eric A. Smith, Department of Meteorology, The Florida State University, 306 Love Bldg., Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520.

Save
Cover Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

  • Anthes, R. A., 1983: Regional models of the atmosphere in middle latitudes. Mon. Wea. Rev.,111, 1306–1335.

  • Atkinson, B. W., 1981: Mesoscale Atmospheric Circulations. Academic Press, 495 pp.

  • Betts, A. K., J. H. Ball, and A. C. M. Beljaars, 1993: Comparison between the land surface response of the ECMWF model and the FIFE-1987 data. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,119, 975–1001.

  • Brutsaert, W., and M. Sugita, 1990: The extent of the unstable Monin–Obukhov layer for temperature and humidity above complex hilly grassland. Bound.-Layer Meteor.,51, 383–400.

  • ——, and ——, 1992: Application of self-preservation in the diurnal evolution of the surface energy budget to determine daily evaporation. J. Geophys. Res.,97, 18377–18382.

  • ——, ——, and L. J. Fritschen, 1990: Inner region humidity characteristics of the neutral boundary layer over Prairie terrain. Water Resour. Res.,26, 2931–2936.

  • Bunker, A. F., 1953: On the determination of moisture gradients from radiosonde records. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,34, 406–409.

  • Chen, F., and R. Avissar, 1994: The impact of land–surface wetness heterogeneity on mesoscale heat fluxes. J. Appl. Meteor.,33, 1323–1340.

  • Connell, B. H., and D. R. Miller, 1995: An interpretation of radiosonde errors in the atmospheric boundary layer. J. Appl. Meteor.,34, 1070–1081.

  • Dastoor, A., and T. N. Krishnamurti, 1991: The landfall and structure of tropical cyclones: The sensitivity of model prediction to soil and moisture parameterization. Bound.-Layer Meteor.,55, 345–380.

  • Desjardins, R. L., P. H. Schuepp, J. I. MacPherson, and D. J. Buckley, 1992: Spatial and temporal variations of the fluxes of carbon dioxide and sensible and latent heat over the FIFE site. J. Geophys. Res.,97, 18467–18476.

  • Dickinson, R. E., 1989: Modeling the effects of Amazonian deforestation on a regional surface climate: A review. Agric. For. Meteor.,47, 339–348.

  • ——, 1993: Changes in land use. Climate System Modeling, K. E. Trenberth, Ed., Cambridge University Press, 689–701.

  • Djuric, D., 1994: Weather Analysis. Prentice-Hall, 304 pp.

  • Golden, J. H., R. Serafin, V. Lally, and J. Facundo, 1986: Atmospheric sounding system. Mesoscale Meteorology and Forecasting, P. Ray, Ed., Amer. Meteor. Soc., 50–70.

  • Goutorbe, J.-P., and Coauthors, 1993: HAPEX-Sahel: A large scale study of land–atmosphere interactions in the semi-arid Tropics. Ann. Geophys.,12, 53–64.

  • Gravel, S., and A. Staniforth, 1992: Variable resolution and robustness. Mon. Wea. Rev.,120, 2633–2640.

  • Kanemasu, E. T., and Coauthors, 1992: Surface flux measurements in FIFE: An overview. J. Geophys. Res.,97, 18547–18556.

  • Kuo, H.-C., and W. H. Schubert, 1988: Stability of cloud-topped boundary layer. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,114, 915–944.

  • Luers, J. K., and R. E. Eskridge, 1995: Temperature corrections for the VIZ and Vaisala radiosondes. J. Appl. Meteor.,34, 1241–1253.

  • Lynn, B. H., D. Rind, and R. Avissar, 1995: The importance of mesoscale circulations generated by subgrid-scale landscape heterogeneities. J. Climate,8, 191–205.

  • Noilhan, J., and P. LaCarrére, 1995: GCM grid-scale evaporation from mesoscale modeling. J. Climate,8, 206–223.

  • Prince, S. D., and Coauthors, 1995: The Hydrological Atmospheric Pilot Experiment in the Sahel (HAPEX-Sahel). Remote Sens. Environ.,51, 215–234.

  • Sellers, P. J., and J. L. Dorman, 1987: Testing the simple biosphere model (SiB) using point micrometeorological and biophysical data. J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,26, 622–651.

  • ——, F. G. Hall, G. Asrar, D. E. Strebel, and R. E. Murphy, 1988: The First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,69, 22–27.

  • ——, ——, ——, ——, and ——, 1992: An overview of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climtatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE). J. Geophys. Res.,97, 18345–18371.

  • Siems, S. S., C. S. Bretherton, M. B. S. Shy, and R. E. Breidenthal, 1990: Buoyancy reversal and cloud-top entrainment instability. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,116, 705–739.

  • Smith, E. A., M. M.-K. Wai, H. J. Cooper, M. T. Rubes, and A. Hsu, 1994: Linking boundary layer circulations and surface processes during FIFE 89. Part I: Observational analysis. J. Atmos. Sci.,51, 1497–1529.

  • Stull, R. B., 1988: An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology. Kluwer Academic, 666 pp.

  • Sugita, M., and W. Brutsaert, 1990: Wind velocity measurements inthe neutral boundary layer above hilly prairie. J. Geophys. Res.,95, 7617–7624.

  • Sun, J., and L. Mahrt, 1994: Spatial distribution of surface fluxes estimated from remotely sensed variable. J. Appl. Meteor.,33, 1341–1353.

  • Wai, M. M.-K., 1992: Persistence of marine boundary clouds in a case with inhomogeneous surface forcing. Beitr. Phys. Atmos.,64, 335–338.

  • Wallace, J. S., 1994: Hydrological processes and dryland degradation. Bull. World Meteor. Org.,43, 22–28.

  • WMO, 1983: Guide to meteorological instruments and methods of observation. WMO Publication No. 8, 5th ed., ISBN# 92–63–1500F–4, Secretariat of WMO, 13.1–13.26. [Available from World Meteor. Org., Case Postale 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland.].

  • Zeng, X., and R. A. Pielke, 1995: Landscape-induced atmospheric flow and its parameterization in large-scale numerical models. J. Climate,8, 1156–1177.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 221 68 37
PDF Downloads 47 26 1