TY - JOUR
T1 - Idealized numerical experiments on microscale eddies in the Venusian cloud layer
AU - Yamamoto, Masaru
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI grant numbers 22244060 and 23540514), and the cooperative research project of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo. Numerical experiments were conducted at the Information Technology Center of The University of Tokyo and the Research Institute for Information Technology of Kyushu University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Yamamoto.
PY - 2014/12
Y1 - 2014/12
N2 - Three-dimensional microscale dynamics of convective adjustment and mixing in and around the Venusian lower cloud layer were investigated using an idealized Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. As control parameters of the idealized experiment, the present work introduces an initial lapse rate in the convective layer and thermal flux associated with the infrared flux gap at cloud base. Eddy heat, material, and momentum fluxes increase in the convective layer with the increase of these two parameters. In the case of convective adjustment over a very short period, prior to formation of a large-scale convective cell, transient microscale eddies efficiently and rapidly eliminate the convective instability. In the case of convective mixing induced by cloud-based thermal flux, microscale eddies are induced around a thin unstable layer at the cloud base, and spread to the middle and upper parts of the neutral layer. For atmospheric static stability around 55 km, two types of fine structure are found: A wave-like profile induced by weak microscale eddies, and a profile locally enhanced by strong eddies.
AB - Three-dimensional microscale dynamics of convective adjustment and mixing in and around the Venusian lower cloud layer were investigated using an idealized Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. As control parameters of the idealized experiment, the present work introduces an initial lapse rate in the convective layer and thermal flux associated with the infrared flux gap at cloud base. Eddy heat, material, and momentum fluxes increase in the convective layer with the increase of these two parameters. In the case of convective adjustment over a very short period, prior to formation of a large-scale convective cell, transient microscale eddies efficiently and rapidly eliminate the convective instability. In the case of convective mixing induced by cloud-based thermal flux, microscale eddies are induced around a thin unstable layer at the cloud base, and spread to the middle and upper parts of the neutral layer. For atmospheric static stability around 55 km, two types of fine structure are found: A wave-like profile induced by weak microscale eddies, and a profile locally enhanced by strong eddies.
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U2 - 10.1186/1880-5981-66-27
DO - 10.1186/1880-5981-66-27
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85013259938
SN - 1343-8832
VL - 66
JO - earth, planets and space
JF - earth, planets and space
IS - 1
M1 - 27
ER -