HR: 0830h
AN: A31E-0091    [PDF]
TI: Micro- and Meso-topographic Temperature Regimes in Mountainous Terrain, Niwot Ridge, Colorado
AU: * Losleben, M V
EM: markl@culter.colorado.edu
AF: Mark Losleben, 818 County Road 116, Nederland, CO 80466 United States
AU: Pepin, N
EM: nick.pepin@noaa.gov
AF: Nick Pepin, Dept of Geograpghy, Buckingham Bldg, Lion Terrace, Univ of Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE United Kingdom
AB: Air temperatures recorded along and across topographic transects on Niwot Ridge over a multi-year period and through all seasons, vary by aspect and slope gradient, and are related to synoptic atmospheric conditions. The extent of cold air ponding (much colder temperatures at the low topographic points) and temperature differences associated with north or south facing slopes, are examined for three north/south transects of contrasting gradients. Synoptic conditions, as expressed through quantitative circulation indices, influence both within and between transect variation. On a slightly larger spatial scale, we compare lower and higher ridge-top sites. Inversions occur even at these sites, their occurrence and magnitude strongly related to synoptic flow patterns. At both mico- and meso-scale, cold air ponding is greatest on clear, calm nights.
DE: 0368 Troposphere--constituent transport and chemistry
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
DE: 3307 Boundary layer processes
DE: 3322 Land/atmosphere interactions
DE: 3364 Synoptic-scale meteorology
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting