Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain
To examine spatial and temporal scales of katabatic flow, a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) optical fiber was deployed 2 km down a mild slope irregularly interrupted by small-scale drainage features as part of the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observation (MATERHORN) experiment con...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/12/1651 |
| _version_ | 1797506675210452992 |
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| author | Stephen Drake Chad Higgins Eric Pardyjak |
| author_facet | Stephen Drake Chad Higgins Eric Pardyjak |
| author_sort | Stephen Drake |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To examine spatial and temporal scales of katabatic flow, a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) optical fiber was deployed 2 km down a mild slope irregularly interrupted by small-scale drainage features as part of the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observation (MATERHORN) experiment conducted at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The fiber was suspended at two heights near the surface, enabling measurement of variations in lapse rate near the surface at meter-scale spatial resolution with 1-min temporal resolution. Experimental results derived from the DTS and tower-mounted instrumentation indicate that airflow through small-scale drainage features regulated the local cooling rate whereas topographic slope and distance along the drainage strongly influenced the larger-scale cooling rate. Empirical results indicate that local cooling rate decays exponentially after local sunset and basin-wide cooling rate decreases linearly with time. The difference in the functional form for cooling rate between local and basin-wide scales suggests that small-scale features have faster timescales that manifests most strongly shortly after local sunset. More generally, partitioning drainage flow by scale provides insight and a methodology for improved understanding of drainage flow in complex terrain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:35:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-98ded79836f44910b4fa1d76e0449bb9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-98ded79836f44910b4fa1d76e0449bb92023-11-23T03:46:52ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332021-12-011212165110.3390/atmos12121651Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex TerrainStephen Drake0Chad Higgins1Eric Pardyjak2Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89512, USABiological and Ecological Engineering Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USATo examine spatial and temporal scales of katabatic flow, a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) optical fiber was deployed 2 km down a mild slope irregularly interrupted by small-scale drainage features as part of the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observation (MATERHORN) experiment conducted at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The fiber was suspended at two heights near the surface, enabling measurement of variations in lapse rate near the surface at meter-scale spatial resolution with 1-min temporal resolution. Experimental results derived from the DTS and tower-mounted instrumentation indicate that airflow through small-scale drainage features regulated the local cooling rate whereas topographic slope and distance along the drainage strongly influenced the larger-scale cooling rate. Empirical results indicate that local cooling rate decays exponentially after local sunset and basin-wide cooling rate decreases linearly with time. The difference in the functional form for cooling rate between local and basin-wide scales suggests that small-scale features have faster timescales that manifests most strongly shortly after local sunset. More generally, partitioning drainage flow by scale provides insight and a methodology for improved understanding of drainage flow in complex terrain.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/12/1651basindrainageDTSkatabatictopography |
| spellingShingle | Stephen Drake Chad Higgins Eric Pardyjak Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain Atmosphere basin drainage DTS katabatic topography |
| title | Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain |
| title_full | Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain |
| title_fullStr | Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain |
| title_short | Distinguishing Time Scales of Katabatic Flow in Complex Terrain |
| title_sort | distinguishing time scales of katabatic flow in complex terrain |
| topic | basin drainage DTS katabatic topography |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/12/1651 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephendrake distinguishingtimescalesofkatabaticflowincomplexterrain AT chadhiggins distinguishingtimescalesofkatabaticflowincomplexterrain AT ericpardyjak distinguishingtimescalesofkatabaticflowincomplexterrain |