Original scientific paper

KATABATIC FLOW WITH CORIOLIS EFFECT

Ivana Stiperski ; Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, Grič 3, 10000 Zagreb
Iva Kavčič ; Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac bb, 10000 Zagreb
Branko Grisogono ; Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac bb, 10000 Zagreb

Abstract

Abstract Katabatic flows on long glaciers in high latitudes experience the Coriolis effect deflecting the flow thus affecting turbulent transports in the boundary layer. Analytically katabatic flows have been best represented by Prandtl model. However, the classic Prandtl model does not take into account the effect of the Coriolis force. It is found that after a straightforward inclusion of this effect, the solution to the model is correct only up to a constant, and does not simultaneously satisfy all boundary conditions. Therefore, a modified analytic Prandtl model is examined. The modified approximate solution agrees with a numerical solution, and qualitatively, with the results of other related studies. Besides a theoretical significance, our
approximate analytic solution can be useful for developing a better parameterization in climate models having a poor vertical resolution for such shallow but persistent flows.

Keywords

Katabatic flow; Coriolis force; Prandtl model

Hrčak ID:

64668

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/64668

Publication date:

15.12.2005.

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