Modeling of the Atmospheric Circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel
Abstract
My long term goal is to better understand and predict the physics of small to mesoscale circulations in the coastal atmosphere using a combination of observations and model simulations. The objective of this project is to determine how local, coastal wind fields in the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC) region are affected by slowly varying synoptic weather conditions and diurnal heating. Because of differences in the winds across the SBC, horizontal shear and wind stress curl can vary rapidly and are highly sensitive to diurnal forcing. Conditions with NW flow outside Pt. Conception are frequently observed and create the largest gradients in horizontal winds across the SBC. I performed hindcast simulations for three different synoptic scenarios, each representing cases with steady, strong NW winds at the western end of the Santa Barbara Channel, but with variable winds at the eastern end. My goal was to understand how marine boundary layer depth, synoptic forcing, and diurnal heating affects the location and strength of the wind shear axis in cases with NW flow at Pt. Conception.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA613938
Entities
People
- Eric D. Skyllingstad
Organizations
- Oregon State University