Article Type:
Research Article

The Impact of the Sierra Nevada on Low-Level Winds and Water Vapor Transport

Jinwon Kim Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Search for other papers by Jinwon Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
and
Hyun-Suk Kang Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Search for other papers by Hyun-Suk Kang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Aug 2007
Collections:
The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM599.1
Page(s):
790–804
Restricted access

Abstract

To understand the influence of the Sierra Nevada on the water cycle in California the authors have analyzed low-level winds and water vapor fluxes upstream of the mountain range in regional climate model simulations. In a low Froude number (Fr) regime, the upstream low-level wind disturbances are characterized by the rapid weakening of the crosswinds and the appearance of a stagnation point over the southwestern foothills. The weakening of the low-level inflow is accompanied by the development of along-ridge winds that take the form of a barrier jet over the western slope of the mountain range. Such upstream wind disturbances are either weak or nonexistent in a high-Fr case. A critical Fr (Frc) of 0.35 inferred in this study is within the range of those suggested in previous observational and numerical studies. The depth of the blocked layer estimated from the along-ridge wind profile upstream of the northern Sierra Nevada corresponds to Frc between 0.3 and 0.45 as well. Associated with these low-level wind disturbances are significant low-level southerly moisture fluxes over the western slope and foothills of the Sierra Nevada in the low-Fr case, which result in significant exports of moisture from the southern Sierra Nevada to the northern region. This along-ridge low-level water vapor transport by blocking-induced barrier jets in a low-Fr condition may result in a strong north–south precipitation gradient over the Sierra Nevada.

* Current affiliation: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

Corresponding author address: Jinwon Kim, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1565. Email: jkim@atmos.ucla.edu

This article included in the The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) special collection.

Abstract

To understand the influence of the Sierra Nevada on the water cycle in California the authors have analyzed low-level winds and water vapor fluxes upstream of the mountain range in regional climate model simulations. In a low Froude number (Fr) regime, the upstream low-level wind disturbances are characterized by the rapid weakening of the crosswinds and the appearance of a stagnation point over the southwestern foothills. The weakening of the low-level inflow is accompanied by the development of along-ridge winds that take the form of a barrier jet over the western slope of the mountain range. Such upstream wind disturbances are either weak or nonexistent in a high-Fr case. A critical Fr (Frc) of 0.35 inferred in this study is within the range of those suggested in previous observational and numerical studies. The depth of the blocked layer estimated from the along-ridge wind profile upstream of the northern Sierra Nevada corresponds to Frc between 0.3 and 0.45 as well. Associated with these low-level wind disturbances are significant low-level southerly moisture fluxes over the western slope and foothills of the Sierra Nevada in the low-Fr case, which result in significant exports of moisture from the southern Sierra Nevada to the northern region. This along-ridge low-level water vapor transport by blocking-induced barrier jets in a low-Fr condition may result in a strong north–south precipitation gradient over the Sierra Nevada.

* Current affiliation: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

Corresponding author address: Jinwon Kim, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1565. Email: jkim@atmos.ucla.edu

This article included in the The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) special collection.

Save
Cover Journal of Hydrometeorology
Journal of Hydrometeorology

  • Chang, S., Hahn D. , Yang C-H. , Norquist D. , and Ek M. , 1999: Validation study of the CAPS model land surface scheme using the 1987 Cabauw/PILPS dataset. J. Appl. Meteor., 38 , 405–422.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Chen, S., Roads J. , Juang H. , and Kanamitzu M. , 1994: California precipitation simulation in the nested spectral model: 1993 January event. Proc. Predicting Heavy Rainfall Events in California: A Symp. to Share Weather Pattern Knowledge, Rocklin, CA, Sierra College Science Center and Floodplain Management Association, 128–133.

  • Cho, H., Niewiadomski M. , Iribarne J. , and Mello O. , 1989: A model of the effect of cumulus clouds on the redistribution and transformation of pollutants. J. Geophys. Res., 94 , D10. 12895–12910.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Chung, J., Kim J. , Oh J. , and Kwon W. , 1998: Effects of ice-phase physics in simulating grid-scale precipitation. Korean J. Atmos. Sci., 1 , 94–103.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Deardorff, J., 1978: Efficient prediction of ground surface temperature and moisture, with inclusion of a layer of vegetation. J. Geophys. Res., 83 , C4. 1889–1903.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Fu, Q., and Liou K. , 1993: Parameterization of the radiative properties of cirrus clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 50 , 2008–2025.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Georgelin, M., and Richard E. , 1996: Numerical simulation of flow diversion around the Pyrenees: A tramontana case study. Mon. Wea. Rev., 124 , 687–700.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Grubišić, V., Vellore R. , and Huggins A. , 2005: Quantitative precipitation forecasting of wintertime storms in the Sierra Nevada: Sensitivity to the microphysical parameterization and horizontal resolution. Mon. Wea. Rev., 133 , 2834–2859.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gu, Y., Fararra J. , Liou K. , and Mechoso C. , 2003: Parameterization of cloud–radiation processes in the UCLA general circulation model. J. Climate, 16 , 3357–3370.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Higgins, R., Shi W. , Yarosh E. , and Joyce R. , cited. 2000: Improved United States Precipitation Quality Control and Analysis. Atlas 7, NCEP/Climate Prediction Center. [Available online at http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research_papers/ncep_cpc_atlas/7/index.html.].

  • Hong, S., and Pan H. , 1998: Convective trigger function for a mass flux cumulus parameterization scheme. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126 , 2599–2620.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kanamitsu, M., and Coauthors, 2002: NCEP dynamical seasonal forecast system 2000. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 83 , 1019–1037.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., 1986: The effects of an isolated mesoscale island on s stably-stratified airstream. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, 59 pp.

  • Kim, J., 1990: Turbulent and gravity wave transport in the free atmosphere. Ph.D. thesis, Oregon State University, 103 pp.

  • Kim, J., 1997: Precipitation and snow budget over the southwestern United States during the 1994–1995 winter season in a mesoscale model simulation. Water Resour. Res., 33 , 2831–2839.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., 2001: A nested modeling study of elevation-dependent climate change signals in California induced by increased atmospheric CO2. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28 , 2951–2954.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., 2005: A projection of the effects of the climate change induced by increased CO2 on extreme hydrologic events in the western U.S. Climatic Change, 68 , 153–168.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., and Mahrt L. , 1992a: Momentum transport by gravity waves. J. Atmos. Sci., 49 , 735–748.

  • Kim, J., and Mahrt L. , 1992b: Simple formulation of turbulent mixing in the stable free atmosphere and nocturnal boundary layer. Tellus, 44A , 381–394.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., and Ek M. , 1995: A simulation of the surface energy budget and soil water content over the Hydrologic Atmospheric Pilot Experiments-Modelisation du Bilan Hydrique forest site. J. Geophys. Res., 100 , D10. 20845–20854.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., and Soong S. , 1996: Simulation of a precipitation event in the western United States. Regional Impacts of Global Climate Change, S. Ghan, Ed., Battelle Press, 73–84.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., and Lee J. , 2003: A multiyear regional climate hindcast for the western United States using the Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation model. J. Hydrometeor., 4 , 878–890.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., Kim T. , Arritt R. , and Miller N. , 2002: Impacts of increased atmospheric CO2 on the hydroclimate of the western United States. J. Climate, 15 , 1926–1942.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kim, J., Gu Y. , and Liou K. , 2006: The impact of direct aerosol radiative forcing on surface insolation and spring snowmelt in the southern Sierra Nevada. J. Hydrometeor., 7 , 976–983.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Koffi, E., 1994: Caractérisation expérimentale de l’écoulement atmosphérique autour d’un massif montagneus (expérience PYREX). Ph.D. thesis, Paul Sabatier University, 213 pp.

  • Kyriakidis, P., Miller N. , and Kim J. , 2004: A spatial time series framework for simulating daily precipitation at regional scales. J. Hydrol., 297 , 236–255.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Louis, J., Tiedke M. , and Gelvyn J. , 1982: A short history of the operational PBL-parameterization at ECMWF. Proc. Workshop on Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization, Reading, United Kingdom, ECMWF, 59–79.

  • Mahrt, L., and Pan H. , 1984: A two-layer model of soil hydrology. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 29 , 1–20.

  • Neiman, P., Ralph F. , Whites A. , Kingsmill D. , and Persson P. , 2002: The statistical relationship between upslope flow and rainfall in California’s coastal mountains: Observations during CALJET. Mon. Wea. Rev., 130 , 1468–1492.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Pan, H., and Mahrt L. , 1987: Interaction between soil hydrology and boundary layer development. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 38 , 185–202.

  • Pan, H., and Wu W. , 1995: Implementing a mass flux convection parameterization package for the NCEP medium-range forecast model. NMC Office Note, 40 pp. [Available from NCEP/EMC, 5200 Auth Road, Camp Springs, MD 20764.].

  • Parish, T., 1982: Barrier winds along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. J. Appl. Meteor., 21 , 925–930.

  • Pierrehumbert, R., and Wyman B. , 1985: Upstream effects of mesoscale mountains. J. Atmos. Sci., 42 , 977–1003.

  • Rhea, J. O., 1978: Orographic precipitation model for hydrometeorological use. Ph.D. thesis, Colorado State University, 198 pp.

  • Rotunno, R., and Ferretti R. , 2001: Mechanisms of intense Alpine rainfall. J. Atmos. Sci., 58 , 1732–1749.

  • Smith, R., 1977: The steepening of hydrostatic mountain waves. J. Atmos. Sci., 34 , 1634–1654.

  • Smith, R., 1980: Linear theory of stratified hydrostatic flow past an isolated mountain. Tellus, 32 , 348–364.

  • Smith, R., 1988: Linear theory of stratified flow past an isolated mountain in isosteric coordinates. J. Atmos. Sci., 45 , 3889–3896.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Smith, R., 1989: Mountain induced stagnation points in hydrostatic flows. Tellus, 41A , 270–274.

  • Smith, R., 2003: A linear upslope-time-delay model for orographic precipitation. J. Hydrol., 282 , 2–9.

  • Smith, R., and Barstad I. , 2004: A linear theory of orographic precipitation. J. Atmos. Sci., 61 , 1377–1391.

  • Smolarkiewicz, P., and Rotunno R. , 1990: Low Froude number flow past three-dimensional obstacles. Part II: Upwind flow reversal zone. J. Atmos. Sci., 47 , 1498–1511.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Soong, S., and Kim J. , 1996: Simulation of a heavy wintertime precipitation event in California. Climatic Change, 32 , 55–77.

  • Stern, W., and Pierrehumbert R. , 1988: The impact of an orographic gravity wave drag parameterization on extended range predictions with a GCM. Preprints, Eighth Conf. on Numerical Weather Prediction, Baltimore, MD, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 745–750.

  • Takacs, L., 1985: A two-step scheme for the advection equation with minimized dissipation and dispersion errors. Mon. Wea. Rev., 113 , 1050–1065.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Troen, I., and Mahrt L. , 1986: A simple model of the atmospheric boundary layers: Sensitivity to surface evaporation. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 37 , 129–148.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zängl, G., 2004: Upstream effects of an Alpine-scale mountain ridge under various flow angles. Meteor. Z., 13 , 291–296.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 4525 3909 374
PDF Downloads 187 49 3