Open AccessOrographic disturbances of surface winds over the shelf waters adjacent to South Georgia
Author(s) -
Hosking J. Scott,
Bannister Daniel,
Orr Andrew,
King John,
Young Emma,
Phillips Tony
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl2.519
Subject(s) - orography , forcing (mathematics) , weather research and forecasting model , climatology , orographic lift , environmental science , wind stress , global wind patterns , geology , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , geography , precipitation
This study seeks to quantify the influence of South Georgia's orography on regional surface winds. A typical case study characterized by large‐scale westerly winds is analysed using a high‐resolution setup (3.3 km) of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional model. The simulation produces significant fine‐scale spatial variability which is in agreement with satellite‐derived winds. The model simulation indicates that these orography‐driven wind disturbances are responsible for strong wind stress curl and enhanced heat flux over the shelf waters surrounding South Georgia. Such surface forcing is entirely absent from the reanalysis, highlighting the need to use high‐resolution forcing in regional ocean model simulations.