Characterization of valley flows within two confluent valleys under stable conditions: observations from the KASCADE field experiment

Wind patterns in main and tributary valley systems undergo diurnal variations that are very dependent on the valley's dimensions. Characterizing the down‐valley winds is important for pollutant dispersion studies. It is also a challenge for numerical simulations. This paper uses KASCADE (KAtabatic winds and Stability over CAdarache for Dispersion of Effluents) observations to describe down‐valley flow development and characteristics in two intersecting, shallow valleys of different sizes located in the pre‐alpine region of southeast France. The Durance Valley and its tributary valley, the Cadarache Valley, are different in depth (200 and 100 m depth, respectively), slope (0.2 and 1.2°), width (5–8 and 1–2 km) and length (>50 and 6 km). Both down‐valley flows were dominant features for the period of measurements. The distinct valley scales lead to different characteristics: the smaller Cadarache down‐valley wind is primarily thermally driven and attains wind speeds of up to 1–4 m s −1 with its jet nose at around 30 m in height above ground. The flow at that height initiates 2 h after sensible heat flux turnover, a time‐scale which relates to a linear wave solution for along‐valley winds. The Durance down‐valley wind involves larger scales –for both terrain features and large‐scale circulation –and is related to a mountain‐to‐plain circulation. Therefore its onset occurs with a delay of ∼6 h after sunset. It reaches speeds of 4–8 m s −1 and a depth of 175–225 m above ground. Its highest occurrence is just after sunrise. Between the two valley winds, a shear layer is observed, the origin of which could be a combination of a Cadarache valley flow return current and a Durance down‐valley wind stream redirected by orography.