Impact of physical processes on maritime frontogenesis
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Authors
Thompson, William Travis
Subjects
NA
Advisors
Williams, R. Terry
Date of Issue
1994-06
Date
June 1994
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
A hydrostatic primitive equation model initialized in a highly baroclinically unsta- ble state was used to simulate maritime cydogeneais and &ontogenesis. In order to identify boundary layer physical procesaes important in maritime &ontogenesis, several dift'erent simulations were performed. An adiabatic and inviscid simulation provided the control for these experiments. The two dift'erent boundary layer pa- rameterizations used were a K-theory parameterization and a second-order closure scheme. Results indicated that strong warm and cold fronts formed in the adiabatic and inviscid case but that the near-surface wind speed and vertical motion fields were unrealistic. bi the K-theory simulation, the results were somewhat more realis- tic but convergence and vorticity were weaker. Results from the second-order closure simulation demonstrated that turbulent mixing of momentum was most important in producing the frontogenetic (and frontolytic) effects of the transverse secondary circulation.
Type
Thesis
Description
The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part
Series/Report No
Department
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
228 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.