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Relation of slope winds to the ambient flow over gentle terrain

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Abstract

Four years of continuous tower data collected at the Risø National Laboratory are analyzed to study the climatological influence of a gentle slope on surface winds. Under very stable nocturnal conditions, the surface air tends to flow down the slope, at least intermittently, regardless of the direction of the overlying ambient wind. With more significant upslope ambient wind and only modest stability, downslope gravity flow is normally prevented. However, the slope-buoyancy effect is still of importance in that it retards the upslope flow of cold air. This effect is of climatic importance for the data studied here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    L. Mahrt

  2. Meteorology Dept., Risø National Laboratory, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Søren Larsen

Authors
  1. L. Mahrt
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  2. Søren Larsen
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Mahrt, L., Larsen, S. Relation of slope winds to the ambient flow over gentle terrain. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 53, 93–102 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122465

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122465

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