Publication Abstracts

Lynn et al. 1995

Lynn, B.H., D. Rind, and R. Avissar, 1995: The importance of mesoscale circulations generated by subgrid-scale landscape heterogeneities in general circulations models. J. Climate, 8, 191-205, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0191:TIOMCG>2.0.CO;2.

A mesoscale atmospheric model was used to evaluate the impact of subgrid-scale landscape discontinuities on the vertical profiles of resolved temperature, moisture, and moist static energy in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) of GCMs. These profiles were produced with a three-dimensional (3D) version of the model (using a horizontal grid resolution of 7.5 km and 13 vertical layers in the PBL) by averaging horizontally the various atmospheric variables over a 180×180 km2 domain — about the size of the horizontal domain represented by a single grid element in a GCM. They were compared to corresponding vertical profiles produced with a one-dimensional (1D) version of the model, which simulates the PBL, as in a GCM, over a single horizontal grid element. Differences obtained between the horizontally-averaged atmospheric variables produced with the 3D simulations and the 1D simulations emphasize the impact of subgrid-scale landscape discontinuities on GCM resolved variables. Various types of landscape discontinuities, characterized by horizontal contrasts of surface wetness and size of land patches, were simulated under various background-wind conditions. Differences of temperature, specific humidity, and moist static energy as large as 4 K, 6 g / kg, and 10 kJ / kg were obtained, respectively, in some cases. These differences were not affected significantly by moderate winds, but were sensitive to the spatial distribution of surface wetness. These results emphasize the need to parameterize mesoscale processes induced by landscape discontinuities in GCMs.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{ly06000k,
  author={Lynn, B. H. and Rind, D. and Avissar, R.},
  title={The importance of mesoscale circulations generated by subgrid-scale landscape heterogeneities in general circulations models},
  year={1995},
  journal={Journal of Climate},
  volume={8},
  pages={191--205},
  doi={10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008%3C0191%3ATIOMCG%3E2.0.CO;2},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ly06000k
AU  - Lynn, B. H.
AU  - Rind, D.
AU  - Avissar, R.
PY  - 1995
TI  - The importance of mesoscale circulations generated by subgrid-scale landscape heterogeneities in general circulations models
JA  - J. Climate
JO  - Journal of Climate
VL  - 8
SP  - 191
EP  - 205
DO  - 10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008%3C0191%3ATIOMCG%3E2.0.CO;2
ER  -

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