Research on parameterization schemes for turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer

The atmospheric boundary layer stretches from the earth's surface to a height of about 1 km. Its turbulence supports efficient exchanges including those of momentum, heat and mass, which eventually affect atmospheric phenomena as a whole. However, the processes behind such turbulence phenomena are not yet fully understood. In this study, numerical simulation, laboratory experiments and field observation are being used to study the atmospheric boundary layer in order to improve parameterization for these processes in numerical weather prediction.

Horizontal sectional view of vertical velocity in the atmospheric boundary layer as obtained from high-resolution numerical simulation. Upward flow (red) and downward flow (blue) make up a cellular pattern of convection.