Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange

A detailed analysis of wind measurements from ground stations and upper air soundings leads to a description of the four-dimensional wind field during one day of the intensive observational phase of POLLUMET, July 5th, 1991. With a weather situation producing a countercurrent in the Swiss plateau an...

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Main Authors: Werner K. Graber, Werner Portmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Borntraeger 1993-09-01
Series:Meteorologische Zeitschrift
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/metz/2/1993/153
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author Werner K. Graber
Werner Portmann
author_facet Werner K. Graber
Werner Portmann
author_sort Werner K. Graber
collection DOAJ
description A detailed analysis of wind measurements from ground stations and upper air soundings leads to a description of the four-dimensional wind field during one day of the intensive observational phase of POLLUMET, July 5th, 1991. With a weather situation producing a countercurrent in the Swiss plateau and a high pressure situation allowing thermally induced winds to develop in the Alpine valleys, the questions of wind shear heights and overlapping of several wind regimes are analysed. An objective analysis for the regional scale wind field is supplemented by process models in order to fill the gap of knowledge at locations, where simple interpolation does not hold. The wind field obtained is validated with measurements not used as input and with constant pressure balloon flights. The identification of air masses then is realized by specifying the air mass origin for some special cases using the calculated wind field for back trajectory determination. Moreover the wind field is used to compute diurnal courses of trace gas fluxes through selected valley intersects near the entrance to the upper Reuss valley. This quantitatively specifies the exchange of air masses and their constituents between the Reuss valley and the adjacent region.
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spelling doaj.art-09f95f67632647ee9d949ce18079490f2024-02-08T08:07:19ZengBorntraegerMeteorologische Zeitschrift0941-29481993-09-012415316610.1127/metz/2/1993/15389586Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchangeWerner K. GraberWerner PortmannA detailed analysis of wind measurements from ground stations and upper air soundings leads to a description of the four-dimensional wind field during one day of the intensive observational phase of POLLUMET, July 5th, 1991. With a weather situation producing a countercurrent in the Swiss plateau and a high pressure situation allowing thermally induced winds to develop in the Alpine valleys, the questions of wind shear heights and overlapping of several wind regimes are analysed. An objective analysis for the regional scale wind field is supplemented by process models in order to fill the gap of knowledge at locations, where simple interpolation does not hold. The wind field obtained is validated with measurements not used as input and with constant pressure balloon flights. The identification of air masses then is realized by specifying the air mass origin for some special cases using the calculated wind field for back trajectory determination. Moreover the wind field is used to compute diurnal courses of trace gas fluxes through selected valley intersects near the entrance to the upper Reuss valley. This quantitatively specifies the exchange of air masses and their constituents between the Reuss valley and the adjacent region.http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/metz/2/1993/153wind measurementsthermallywind fieldair massesreuss valleyswitzerlandwindmessungenthermischwindfeldluftmassenreusstalschweiz
spellingShingle Werner K. Graber
Werner Portmann
Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
Meteorologische Zeitschrift
wind measurements
thermally
wind field
air masses
reuss valley
switzerland
windmessungen
thermisch
windfeld
luftmassen
reusstal
schweiz
title Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
title_full Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
title_fullStr Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
title_full_unstemmed Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
title_short Modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale-related processes and its application to the Alpine air mass exchange
title_sort modeling wind fields over complex terrain by superposition of scale related processes and its application to the alpine air mass exchange
topic wind measurements
thermally
wind field
air masses
reuss valley
switzerland
windmessungen
thermisch
windfeld
luftmassen
reusstal
schweiz
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/metz/2/1993/153
work_keys_str_mv AT wernerkgraber modelingwindfieldsovercomplexterrainbysuperpositionofscalerelatedprocessesanditsapplicationtothealpineairmassexchange
AT wernerportmann modelingwindfieldsovercomplexterrainbysuperpositionofscalerelatedprocessesanditsapplicationtothealpineairmassexchange