A Model Study of the Strong and Weak Wind, Stably Stratified Nocturnal Boundary Layer: Influence of Gentle Slopes

With the exception of intermittency and waves, a brief review of the observed and modeled mean structure of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) is presented. The effect of gentle slopes on strong and weak wind NBL was investigated here using a one-dimensional model, with a simple correction term to account for the slope effects, identical to the one used by BROST and WYNGAARD (1978). The study indicates that the wind profiles, temperature profiles and surface layer turbulence characteristics are extremely sensitive to the imposed geostrophic wind when small slopes are present especially for light winds. This is due to the complex interaction between the buoyancy driven slope flow and the imposed geostrophic wind that in turn influence the shear generation of turbulence. Finally, the current issues in the modeling of weak wind boundary layer are discussed.