Rotational and divergent kinetic energy in the mesoscale model ALADIN

V. Blažica; N. Žagar; B. Strajnar; J. Cedilnik

doi:10.3402/tellusa.v65i0.18918

Rotational and divergent kinetic energy in the mesoscale model ALADIN

Tellus

Volume 65 (2013): Issue 1

By: V. Blažica, N. Žagar, B. Strajnar and J. Cedilnik

Open Access

|Dec 2013

Abstract

Kinetic energy spectra from the mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) model ALADIN with horizontal resolution 4.4 km are split into divergent and rotational components which are then compared at horizontal scales below 300 km and various vertical levels. It is shown that about 50% of kinetic energy in the free troposphere in ALADIN is divergent energy. The percentage increases towards 70% near the surface and in the upper troposphere towards 100 hPa. The maximal percentage of divergent energy is found at stratospheric levels around 100 hPa and at scales below 100 km which are not represented by the global models. At all levels, the divergent energy spectra are characterised by shallower slopes than the rotational energy spectra, and the difference increases as horizontal scales become larger. A very similar vertical distribution of divergent energy is obtained by using the standard ALADIN approach for the computation of spectra based on the extension zone and by applying detrending approach commonly used in mesoscale NWP community.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v65i0.18918 | Journal eISSN: 3035-9554

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Language: English

Page range: 18918 - 18918

Submitted on: Jun 7, 2012

Accepted on: Mar 7, 2013

Published on: Dec 1, 2013

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

kinetic energy spectra,

rotational energy,

divergent energy,

ALADIN,

limited-area modelling

© 2013 V. Blažica, N. Žagar, B. Strajnar, J. Cedilnik, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 65 (2013): Issue 1