Mountain Meteorology

Meteorology 5550

490 INSCC

TH 10:45 – 12:05

John Horel

Jim Steenburgh

Course Objectives and Content

Understand the influence of the earth’s orography upon weather and climate

First Half- John Horel

Geographical controls of mountain weather and climate

Terrain-forced flows

Flow interaction with complex terrain

Course Content (cont.)

Second half- Jim Steenburgh

Orographically modified cyclones

Orographically trapped disturbances

Orographic precipitation

Invited presentations

Fire weather

Air quality

Avalanches

Surface transportation

Grading

40%: Homework, class participation, literature reviews

20%: Participation and writeup of results from field experiment

20%: 1^st half quiz

20% 2^nd half quiz

Source Material

Mountain Meteorology. D. Whiteman. 2000.

Mountain Weather and Climate. R Barry. 1992.

Atmospheric Processes over Complex Terrain. W. Blumen 1990.

Influence of Mountains on the Atmosphere. R. Smith. 1979. Advances in Geophysics. 21.

Additional Reading

Reading Assignments

Many available on-line. To save trees, you are to access them on-line from campus and print them as needed

http://ams.allenpress.com/amsonline/?request=index-html

First Reading Assignment

First reading assignment: Barry, R. G. (1978): H. B. de Saussure: the first mountain meteorologist. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 59, 702-5.

Summarize in a few paragraphs: (1) who Saussure was; (2) how did he make the measurements and what were his results regarding the decrease of temperature with height; (3) what other contributions to mountain meteorology did he make?

Due: via email at beginning of class on Aug. 30. Send to jhorel@met.utah.edu, Be prepared to discuss the reading during that class.

Field Project

Analysis of wind circulations on ski-jump slope

Weather permitting

Set up on Friday September 28

Observations Saturday morning September 29

Takedown in afternoon

Requires planning in advance by class to design useful field project

Requires analysis of data after data collection completed

VTMX Workshop

September 10-12

Useful presentations on local wind circulations in Salt Lake Valley

Plan on attending a few hours at some point instead of class on the 11^th (and 13^th?)

What is a mountain?

Common usage:

600 m or more of local relief defines a mountain

Less than 600m is a hill

High mountain/alpine areas (Troll 1973; Arct. Alp. Res., 5, 19-27):

Relative to terrain features

Upper timberline

Snow line

What are the effects of mountains?

Substantial modification of synoptic or meso scale weather systems by dynamical and thermodynamical processes through a considerable depth of the atmosphere

Recurrent generation of distinctive wx conditions, involving dynamically and thermally induced wind systems, cloudiness, and precipitation regimes

Slope and aspect variations on scales of 10-100 m form mosaic of local climates

(Barry 1992)

Effects of Mountains

Whiteman (2000)

Precipitation

Slide 15

Barry (1992)

Mountains

% mountains as fraction of total land surface (land 30%)

0-1000 m       10%

1000-2000 m   3%

2000-3000 m   3%

> 3000 m         4%

Total               20%

Barry 1992

%mountain as fraction of earth 6%

Mt. Everest

http://www.mteverest.com/

http://www.mnteverest.net/

http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/eve_e.htm

http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/Him.Range Pix.html

Height of Mt. Everest: 8848m

(http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/hyoko_e.htm)

High Elevation Observatories

Mt Washington

http://www.mountwashington.org/

Storm Peak Laboratory

http://www.dri.edu/Projects/SPL/

Geographical controls of mountain climate (Barry 1992)

Latitude

Continentality

Altitude

Topography

Thermally forced terrain circulations

Mountain-valley winds

Slope flows

Peter Sinks Experiment

VTMX

lake breeze

Flow Interaction With Complex Terrain

Buoyancy oscillations

Flow over vs. around obstacles

Kinetic and potential energy of flows

Mountain waves

Gravity wave drag

Trapped lee waves

Downslope Windstorms

Conceptual models

Observations

Numerical studies

Gap winds

Other subjects

Orography and the General Circulation

Mountain torque

Physiology of high altitude

Climate change at high altitude

1^st Homework Assignment

Bring in a couple (to as many as you want) of mountain and mountain weather related photos

Be prepared to say a few words about 1-2 photos

If you’re willing to allow use of the photos for this class and future classes, scan the images on the PC in Rm 480 (details to be provided, but don’t leave them with me)

Due: whenever

Homework Assignment #2

(1) Find 5 interesting and useful internet web pages related to mountain weather, mountain climates, or alpine environments

(2) Send me in 1 email the web addresses with a 1-2 sentence description of the content of each page

(3) Provide at least 2 scientific, literary, or artistic (music/art) definitions or descriptions of mountains. Not from dictionaries

(4) Provide a reference/source for that definition and send it in the same email as that used above

Due August 30

Parameters used to define flow (Smith 1979)


	Meteorology 5550
	490 INSCC
	TH 10:45 – 12:05
	John Horel
	Jim Steenburgh


	Understand the influence of the earth’s orography upon weather and climate
	First Half- John Horel
		Geographical controls of mountain weather and climate
		Terrain-forced flows
		Flow interaction with complex terrain


	Second half- Jim Steenburgh
		Orographically modified cyclones
		Orographically trapped disturbances
		Orographic precipitation
	Invited presentations
		Fire weather
		Air quality
		Avalanches
		Surface transportation


	40%: Homework, class participation, literature reviews
	20%: Participation and writeup of results from field experiment
	20%: 1^st half quiz
	20% 2^nd half quiz


	Mountain Meteorology. D. Whiteman. 2000.
	Mountain Weather and Climate. R Barry. 1992.
	Atmospheric Processes over Complex Terrain. W. Blumen 1990.
	Influence of Mountains on the Atmosphere. R. Smith. 1979. Advances in Geophysics. 21.
	Additional Reading


	Many available on-line. To save trees, you are to access them on-line from campus and print them as needed
	http://ams.allenpress.com/amsonline/?request=index-html


	First reading assignment: Barry, R. G. (1978): H. B. de Saussure: the first mountain meteorologist. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 59, 702-5.
	Summarize in a few paragraphs: (1) who Saussure was; (2) how did he make the measurements and what were his results regarding the decrease of temperature with height; (3) what other contributions to mountain meteorology did he make?
	Due: via email at beginning of class on Aug. 30. Send to jhorel@met.utah.edu, Be prepared to discuss the reading during that class.


	Analysis of wind circulations on ski-jump slope
	Weather permitting
		Set up on Friday September 28
		Observations Saturday morning September 29
		Takedown in afternoon
	Requires planning in advance by class to design useful field project
	Requires analysis of data after data collection completed


	September 10-12
	Useful presentations on local wind circulations in Salt Lake Valley
	Plan on attending a few hours at some point instead of class on the 11^th (and 13^th?)


	Common usage:
		600 m or more of local relief defines a mountain
		Less than 600m is a hill
	High mountain/alpine areas (Troll 1973; Arct. Alp. Res., 5, 19-27):
		Relative to terrain features
		Upper timberline
		Snow line


	Substantial modification of synoptic or meso scale weather systems by dynamical and thermodynamical processes through a considerable depth of the atmosphere
	Recurrent generation of distinctive wx conditions, involving dynamically and thermally induced wind systems, cloudiness, and precipitation regimes
	Slope and aspect variations on scales of 10-100 m form mosaic of local climates
	(Barry 1992)


	% mountains as fraction of total land surface (land 30%)
	0-1000 m 10%
	1000-2000 m 3%
	2000-3000 m 3%
	> 3000 m 4%
	Total 20%
	Barry 1992
	%mountain as fraction of earth 6%


	http://www.mteverest.com/
	http://www.mnteverest.net/
	http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/eve_e.htm
	http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/Him.Range Pix.html
	Height of Mt. Everest: 8848m
	(http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/hyoko_e.htm)


	Mt Washington
		http://www.mountwashington.org/

	Storm Peak Laboratory
		http://www.dri.edu/Projects/SPL/


	Mountain-valley winds
	Slope flows
	Peter Sinks Experiment
	VTMX
	lake breeze


	Buoyancy oscillations
	Flow over vs. around obstacles
	Kinetic and potential energy of flows
	Mountain waves
	Gravity wave drag
	Trapped lee waves


	Orography and the General Circulation
		Mountain torque
	Physiology of high altitude
	Climate change at high altitude


	Bring in a couple (to as many as you want) of mountain and mountain weather related photos
	Be prepared to say a few words about 1-2 photos
	If you’re willing to allow use of the photos for this class and future classes, scan the images on the PC in Rm 480 (details to be provided, but don’t leave them with me)
	Due: whenever


	(1) Find 5 interesting and useful internet web pages related to mountain weather, mountain climates, or alpine environments
	(2) Send me in 1 email the web addresses with a 1-2 sentence description of the content of each page
	(3) Provide at least 2 scientific, literary, or artistic (music/art) definitions or descriptions of mountains. Not from dictionaries
	(4) Provide a reference/source for that definition and send it in the same email as that used above
	Due August 30