Modeling of Surface Effects on the Mesoscale

Abstract

Mesoscale meteorological processes may originate from a variety of mechanisms; however, one of the most important is forcing by the earth’s surface. Terrain height variations and differential surface fluxes of heat, momentum, and moisture force myriad phenomena on a wide range of scales—from the mesoalpha to the mesogamma (length scales of greater than 2 km and less than 2000 km). These include thermally forced circulations over differentially heated land surfaces, drylines that can be associated with spatial variations in surface moisture fluxes, mountain lee waves, mountain-valley circulations, and coastal frontogenesis and cyclogenesis.