Horizontal heat fluxes over complex terrain computed using a simple mixed-layer model and a numerical model

Abstract

The thermally induced local circulation over a periodic valley is simulated by a two-dimensional numerical model that does not include condensational processes. During the daytime of a clear, calm day, heat is transported from the mountainous region to the valley area by anabatic wind and its return flow. The specific humidity is, however, transported in an inverse manner. The horizontal exchange rate of sensible heat has a horizontal scale similarity, as long as the horizontal scale is less than a critical width of about 100 km. The sensible heat accumulated in an atmospheric column over an arbitrary point can be estimated by a simple model termed the uniform mixed-layer model (UML). -Authors