Collaborative Research: From Turbulence to Weather and Climate: Unraveling the Multi-scale Nature of Dust and Sand Transport in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

合作研究：从湍流到天气和气候：揭示大气边界层中沙尘输送的多尺度性质

基本信息

批准号：
1647173
负责人：
Marcelo Chamecki
金额：
$ 15.6万
依托单位：
University of California-Los Angeles
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2016-06-14 至 2018-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1647173&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research Turbulence Weather Climate

项目摘要

The focus of this research project is on the lifting of sand by the wind, known as saltation, and how it is portrayed by weather and climate models. Wind-blown sand has direct impacts, such as forming dunes, but also secondary impacts when the sand particles impact and eject much finer dust particles. These particles are known as mineral dust aerosols and are one of the major contributors to global particulate matter, which affects human health, weather, climate, ecosystems, atmospheric chemistry, and the hydrological cycle. Current numerical models treat saltation as a uniform process, when studies have shown that saltation is actually driven by turbulent winds close to the surface and is highly intermittent. The researchers plan to improve the representation of the saltation process through a combination of theory, field campaigns, fine-scale modeling (Large-Eddy Simulation) and global-scale (Earth System) modeling. The work will involve four main tasks: 1) Linking the intermittency and intensity of sand transport to atmospheric turbulence, 2) linking atmospheric turbulence to the overall atmospheric boundary layer properties from weather and climate models, 3) developing an improved dust emission parameterization that accounts for turbulence-drive intermittency, and 4) testing the hypothesis that intermittency plays an important role in the timing and magnitude of dust events.The broader impacts of the project will include societal and education & outreach components. A successful completion of the project will result in an improvement to the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and other weather and climate models which should result in more accurate forecasts of weather and regional climate changes in dusty regions such as the southwestern US and North Africa. Two graduate students will be trained during the project, and the students along with the lead researchers and a professional educator will collaboratively develop an educational module, based on wind erosion and turbulence, that addresses a range of national and state standards in the physical sciences. The modules will be disseminated via a workshop for high school teachers and through a website that collects physics-based lesson plans. The researchers and graduate students will also interact with high school students through guest lectures and participation in the Adopt-a-Physicist program.

该研究项目的重点是风扬起沙子（称为跃移），以及天气和气候模型如何描述它。风吹的沙子具有直接影响，例如形成沙丘，但当沙粒撞击并喷射出更细的灰尘颗粒时，也会产生二次影响。这些颗粒被称为矿物粉尘气溶胶，是全球颗粒物的主要来源之一，影响人类健康、天气、气候、生态系统、大气化学和水文循环。当前的数值模型将跃移视为一个均匀的过程，而研究表明，跃移实际上是由靠近地表的湍流风驱动的，并且是高度间歇性的。研究人员计划通过理论、现场活动、精细尺度建模（大涡模拟）和全球尺度（地球系统）建模的结合来改进跃移过程的表征。这项工作将涉及四项主要任务：1）将沙粒输送的间歇性和强度与大气湍流联系起来，2）将大气湍流与天气和气候模型中的整体大气边界层特性联系起来，3）开发一种改进的粉尘排放参数化方法，该参数化方法可以解释湍流驱动间歇性，4) 检验间歇性在沙尘事件发生的时间和强度方面发挥重要作用的假设。该项目的更广泛影响将包括社会和教育以及外展组件。该项目的成功完成将改进社区地球系统模型（CESM）和其他天气和气候模型，从而对美国西南部和北非等沙尘地区的天气和区域气候变化进行更准确的预测。该项目期间将培训两名研究生，学生与主要研究人员和一名专业教育工作者将合作开发一个基于风蚀和湍流的教育模块，该模块涉及物理科学领域的一系列国家和州标准。这些模块将通过高中教师研讨会和收集物理课程计划的网站进行传播。研究人员和研究生还将通过客座讲座和参与“采用物理学家”计划与高中生互动。