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Influence of topography and urban heat island effects on the outbreak of convective storms under unstable meteorological conditions: a numerical study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1997

J Thielen  and
A Gadian
J Thielen
Affiliation:
ECN/LMF, Equipe Dynamique de l'Atmosphère Habitée, F-44072 Nantes, France
A Gadian
Affiliation:
Department of Pure and Applied Physics, UMIST, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK
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Abstract

Analysis of observational data of convective storms in Northern England suggests that the particular combination of effects such as sea breezes, elevated terrain and the presence of large cities has an influence on the initiation and development of convective storms. To study the importance of these effects for the development of convection, a cloud physics model has been initialised with the topography and surface characteristics of Northern England. The model enabled inclusion of three principal influences: sea breezes, topography and urban heat islands. The results suggested that the presence of the Pennines, a north-south orientated ridge, could influence the initiation of convection due to its long sun-facing slopes, and to a lesser degree forced lifting along the slopes. Inclusion of urban heat island effects focused convection downwind of the principal urban areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
Meteorological Applications , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 1997 , pp. 139 - 149
Copyright
© 1997 Meteorological Society

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