Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6237-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6237-2015
Research article
 | 
08 Jun 2015
Research article |  | 08 Jun 2015

A case study of a low-level jet during OPALE

H. Gallée, H. Barral, E. Vignon, and C. Genthon

Abstract. A case study of a low-level jet (LLJ) during the OPALE (Oxidant Production over Antarctic Land and its Export) summer campaign is presented. It has been observed at Dome C (East Antarctica) and is simulated accurately by the three-dimensional version of the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR). It is found that this low-level jet is not related to an episode of thermal wind, suggesting that Dome C may be a place where turbulence on flat terrain can be studied.

Short summary
This is the first time that a low-level jet observed above the East Antarctic Plateau is simulated by a regional climate model. This paper illustrates in a 3-D simulation the respective influences of the large-scale pressure gradient force and turbulence on the onset of the low-level jet. As atmospheric turbulence plays a key role in explaining the behaviour of chemical tracers during the OPALE campaign, this paper also increases our confidence in using the outputs of the model for this purpose.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint