Open AccessStochastic Subgrid Parameterizations for Simulations of Atmospheric Baroclinic Flows
Author(s) -
Meelis J. Zidikheri,
Jørgen S. Frederiksen
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the atmospheric sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.853
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1520-0469
pISSN - 0022-4928
DOI - 10.1175/2009jas3036.1
Subject(s) - baroclinity , eddy , physics , anisotropy , wavenumber , statistical physics , direct numerical simulation , turbulence , isotropy , diagonal , large eddy simulation , homogeneous isotropic turbulence , scale (ratio) , computational physics , meteorology , mechanics , geometry , mathematics , reynolds number , optics , quantum mechanics
A stochastic subgrid modeling method is used to parameterize horizontal and vertical subgrid-scale transfers in large-eddy simulations (LESs) of baroclinic flows with large-scale jets and energy spectra typical of the atmosphere. The approach represents the subgrid-scale eddies for LES (at resolutions of T63 and T31) by a stochastic model that takes into account the memory effects of turbulent eddies. The statistics of the model are determined from a higher-resolution (T126) direct numerical simulation (DNS). The simulations use a quasigeostrophic two-level model and the subgrid terms are inhomogeneous in the vertical and anisotropic in the horizontal and are represented by 2 × 2 matrices at each wavenumber. The parameterizations have the largest magnitudes at a cusp near the largest total wavenumbers of the truncations. At T63 the off-diagonal elements of the matrices are negligible (corresponding to effectively decoupled levels) and the diagonal elements are almost isotropic. At the lower resolution of T31 the off-diagonal elements are more important and even the diagonal elements are more anisotropic. At both resolutions, and for anisotropic or isotropized subgrid terms, LESs are in excellent agreement with higher-resolution DNS.