Wind and Temperature Structure over a Land-Water-Land Area

Abstract

Wind and temperature data obtained on 5 June 1984 during the Øresund experiment are analyzed. The day was characterized by moderately strong winds blowing from a heated land area over a colder water surface and then over a second heated land area. To aid our interpretation of the data, the Colorado State University Hydrodynamic Mesoscale Model was used to simulate conditions on that day. The near-surface winds were found to accelerate over the water near the upwind coast, subsequently decelerated as the water fetch increased and accelerated once again as the second land surface was encountered. At higher levels, the winds accelerated over the water and decelerated over land. Good agreement was found between observations and the simulation. The more complicated behavior of the lower level wind fields is caused by a combination of roughness length changes and the development of a shallow stable layer over the water that inhibits vertical momentum transfer.

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