Abstract
Atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) turbulent processes in the Paris area have been documented in the framework of the étude de la Couche Limite en Agglomération Parisienne (ECLAP). Under anticyclonic conditions, simulations are made with a ‘column’ modelling approach, based on the three-dimensional version of the non-hydrostatic mesoscale model MERCURE restricted to a small domain. This ‘column’ model uses existing state-of-the-art surface-layer parameterizations (the addition of the convective velocity scale to the mean wind speed in near free convection periods, the prescription of the effective dynamical roughness length as well as a differentiation between dynamical and thermal roughness lengths). To ensure the representativeness of the comparison between measurements and simulations, the dynamical and thermal effective roughness lengths characterizing the experimental site are prescribed explicitly in the model, using sonic anemometer measurements. We show that the parameterizations implemented in MERCURE for this study enable a good description, by the three-dimensional model, of the observed complex ABL dynamics. We also show that in the region of Paris, the synoptic scale and mesoscale dynamics can have a dramatic impact on the ABL dynamics and turbulent processes at the local scale. This study is a first attempt at improving our ability to predict meteorological factors affecting urban air quality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beljaars, A. C. M., and Holtslag, A. A. M.: 1991, ‘Flux Parameterization over Land Surfaces for Atmospheric Models’, J. Appl. Meteorol. 30, 327-341.
Beljaars, A. C. M.: 1994, ‘The Parameterization of Surface Fluxes in Large-Scale Models under Free Convection’, Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 121, 255-270.
Bottema, M.: 1997, ‘Urban Roughness Modeling in Relation to Pollutant Dispersion’, Atmos. Environ. 31, 3059-3075.
Bougeault, P., Noilhan, J., Lacarrère, P., and Mascart, P.: 1991, ‘An Experiment with an Advanced Surface Parameterization in a Mesobeta-Scale Model. Part I: Implementation’, Mon. Wea. Rev. 119, 2359-2373.
Clarke, J. F., Ching, J. K. S., Godowitch, J. M., and Binkowski, F. S.: 1987, ‘Surface Layer Turbulence in an Urban Area’, in Modeling the Urban Boundary Layer, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston.
Counihan, J.: 1971, ‘Wind Tunnel Determination of the Roughness Length as a Function of the Fetch and Roughness Density of Three Dimensionnal Roughness Elements’, Atmos. Environ. 5, 637-642.
Deardoff, J. W.: 1978, ‘Efficient Prediction of Ground Surface Temperature and Moisture with Inclusion of a Layer of Vegetation’, J. Geophys. Res. 63, 1889-1903.
Dubosclard, G.: 1980, ‘A Comparison between Observed and Predicted Values of the Entrainment Coefficient in the Planetary Boundary-Layer’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 18, 473-483.
Dupont, E., Musson-Genon, L., and Carissimo, B.: 1995, ‘Simulation of the Paris Heat Island Effect during Two Strong Pollution Events’, Proceedings of Air Pollution 95, Porto Carras, pp. 51-58.
Dupont, E., Menut, L., Carissimo, B., Pelon, J., and Flamant, P. H.: 1997, ‘Comparison between the Atmospheric Boundary Layer in Paris and its Rural Suburbs during the ECLAP Experiment’, Atmos. Environ. 33, 979-994.
Duynkerke, P. G.: 1988, ‘An Application of the k — ε Turbulence Closure Model to the Neutral and Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer’, J. Atmos. Sci. 45, 865-880.
Flamant, C., Pelon, J., Flamant, P. H., and Durand, P.: 1997, ‘Lidar Determination of the Entrainment Zone Thickness at the Top of the Unstable Marine Atmospheric Boundary-Layer’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 83, 247-284.
Garratt, J. R.: 1992, The Atmospheric Boundary Layer, Cambridge University Press, U.K., 316 pp.
Geleyn, J. F.: 1988, ‘Interpolation of Wind, Temperature and Humidity Values from Levels to the Height of Measurement’, Tellus 40A, 347-351.
Georgelin, M., Richard, E., Petitdidier, M., and Druilhet, A.: 1994, ‘Impact of Subgrid-Scale Orography Parameterization on the Simulation of Orographic Flows’, Mon. Wea. Rev. 122, 1509-1522.
Giannini, L., Argentini, S., Mastrantonio, G., and Rossini, L.: 1996, ‘Estimation of Flux Parameters from Sodar Wind Profiles’, Atmos. Environ. 31, 1307-1313.
Grant, A. L. M. and Mason, P. J.: 1990, ‘Observations of Boundary-Layer Structure over Complex Terrain’, Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 116, 159-186.
Holtslag, A. A. M., DeBruijn, E. I. F., and Pan, H.-L.: 1990, ‘A High Resolution Air Mass Transformation Model for Short-Range Weather Forecasting’, Mon. Wea. Rev. 118, 1561-1575.
Lettau, H.: 1969, ‘Note on Aerodynamic Roughness-Parameter Estimation on the Basis of Roughness-Element Description’, J. Appl. Meteorol. 8, 828-832.
Louis, J. F.: 1979, ‘A Parametric Model of Vertical Eddy Fluxes in the Atmosphere’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 17, 187-202.
Louis, J. F., Tiedke, M., and Geleyn, J. F.: 1982, ‘A Short History of the PBL Parameterization at ECMWF’, Proceedings of the ECMWF Workshop on Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization, Reading, pp. 59-80.
Mascart, P., Noilhan, J., and Giordani, H.: 1995, ‘A Modified Parameterization of Flux-Profile Relationships in the Surface Layer Using Different Roughness Length Values for Heat and Momentum’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 72, 331-344.
Mason, P. J.: 1988, ‘The Formation of Areally-Averaged Roughness Lengths’, Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 98, 213-221.
Menut, L.: 1997, Etude Experimentale et Théorique de la Couche Limite en Agglomération Parisienne, PhD dissertation, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Menut, L., Flamant, C., Pelon, J., and Flamant, P. H.: 1999, ‘Urban Boundary Layer Height Determination from Lidar Measurements over the Paris Area’, Appl. Opt. 38, 945-954.
Petersen, R. L.: 1997, ‘A Wind Tunnel Evaluation of Methods for Estimating Surface Roughness Length at Industrial Facilities’, Atmos. Environ. 31, 45-57.
Pielke, R. A.: 1984, Mesoscale Meteorological Modeling, Academic Press, New York, 612 pp.
Pleim, J. E. and Xiu, A.: 1988, ‘Development and Testing of a Surface Flux and Planetary Boundary Layer Model for Application in Mesoscale Models’, J. Appl. Meteorol. 34, 16-32.
Souffland, D.: 1985, Développement et Validation d'un Modèle Tridimensionnel Non-Hydrostatique d'Écoulements Méso-Météorologiques en Terrain Complexe — Le Code Mercure, PhD. dissertation, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble.
Steyn, D. G.: 1996, ‘Air Pollution in Coastal Cities’, in Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XI, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 505-517.
Stull, R. B.: 1988, An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 666 pp.
Taylor, P. A.: 1987, ‘Comments and Further Analysis on the Effective Roughness Length for Use in Numerical Three-Dimensional Models’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 39, 403-419.
Uno, I., Cai, X-M., Steyn, D. G., and Emori, S.: 1995, ‘A Simple Extension of the Louis Method for Rough Surface Layer Modelling’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 76, 395-409.
Vogelezang, D. H. P. and Holtslag, A. A. M.: 1996, ‘Evaluation and Model Impacts of Alternative Boundary-Layer Height Formulations’, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 81, 245-269.
Wood, N. and Mason, P. J.: 1991, ‘The Influence of Static Stability on the Effective Roughness Lengths for Momentum and Heat Transfer’, Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 117, 1025-1056.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Menut, L., Flamant, C. & Pelon, J. Evidence of Interaction Between Synoptic and Local Scales in the Surface Layer over the Paris Area. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 93, 269–286 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002013631786
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002013631786