Large Eddy Simulation Embedded in Mesoscale Modeling of Convective Boundary Layers observed at the ARM SGP Central Facility

Abstract:

We assess the performance of large eddy simulation (LES) embedded in a multi-nested mesoscale modeling framework with respect to observations at the Central Facility (CF) site of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP). Specifically for three different fair-weather days, evaluated are the temporal evolutions of temperature and water vapor in the afternoon convective boundary layer (CBL). From the two aspects of local surface and background atmospheric conditions, the causes of the deviations of LES results from observations are sought. In particular, we focus on the factors that critically influence on the surface and atmospheric conditions for LES through the multi-nested domains from grid spacing of 12 km down to 50 m. Also we identify the domain at the resolution of the so called “terra incognita”, where the effective resolution or the spatial filter is comparable to the length scale of energy-containing turbulent eddies. The behavior of the “terra-incognita” domain and its influence on LES are investigated.