Applications of land surface data assimilation to simulations of sea breeze circulations.

摘要

A technique has been developed for assimilating GOES-derived skin temperature tendencies into the surface energy budget equation of a mesoscale model so that the simulated rate of temperature change closely agrees with the satellite observations. Four simulations using the PSU/NCAR MM5, including one using the satellite data assimilation technique, are conducted to examine the sensitivity of a northern Gulf Coast sea breeze circulation to differential land surface forcing. The partitioning of sensible and latent heat flux resulting from surface moisture availability was found to be an important part in simulating the strength and structure of the sea breeze circulation. The assimilation technique performed best in reproducing the circulation, while a simplified slab model as well as a complex scheme performed less favorably. It was also found that the simulated sea breeze circulation is not only a function of land sea thermal contrast but also a function of accurate representation of land surface heating.