Using similarity theory to parameterize mesoscale heat fluxes generated by subgrid-scale landscape discontinuities in GCMs
- Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States)
- Hughes, STX, New York, NY (United States)
Similarity theory was used to develop a parameterization of mesoscale heat fluxes induced by landscape discontinuities for large-scale atmospheric models (e.g., general circulation models). For this purpose, Buckingham Pi theory, a systematic method for performing dimensional analysis, was used to derive a set of dimensionless groups, which describes the large-scale atmospheric background conditions, the spatial variability of surface sensible heat flux, and the characteristic structure of the landscape. These dimensionless groups were used to calculate the coefficients of a fourth-order Chebyshev polynomial, which represents the vertical profiles of dimensionless mesoscale heat fluxes obtained for a broad range of large-scale atmospheric conditions and different landscapes. The numerous three-dimensional numerical experiments performed to evaluate this similarity relationship suggest that the parameterization is quite robust. 42 refs., 13 figs., 8 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 81173
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Climate, Vol. 8, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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