Numerical Simulation of Coastal Trapped Disturbances Along the U.S. West Coast

Abstract

The long-term goal of this research is to better understand and explain the initiation, propagation and demise of trapped atmospheric disturbances in the coastal marine boundary layer, particularly those which have been observed to occur along the US West Coast. In particular we wish to obtain a better understanding of how topographic variability along the west coast of North America influences the evolution, propagation, and decay of Coastal Trapped Disturbances (CTD). Emphasis is placed on examining the termination of events which observations to date suggest may occur in the vicinity of bends, such as Cape Mendocino and Cape Blanco. A secondary objective is to determine whether a reduced gravity model (applied to these events in previous work) is a good approximation of the coastal atmosphere during CTD events. It is anticipated that this improved understanding will lead to enhanced forecasting of CTD and their impact.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 1999
Accession Number
ADA630973

Entities

People

  • Chris J. Reason
  • Peter L. Jackson

Organizations

  • University of British Columbia

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • British Columbia
  • California
  • Earth Sciences
  • Froude Number
  • Geography
  • Layers
  • Leading Edges
  • North America
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Simulations
  • Surface Properties
  • Surface Temperature
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Topography

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.