Large-Eddy Simulations of a Coupled PBL/Land-Surface System

The majority of large-eddy simulation (LES) studies investigating the planetary boundary layer (PBL) have prescribed surface conditions representing sources of heat and moisture from the Earth's surface. To investigate the time-dependent nature of the interaction between the soil surface and the overlying atmosphere, we will present results from numerical simulations coupling the NOAH LSM (NCEP OSU Air Force Office of Hydrology Land Surface Model) with the NCAR LES. The simulations to be discussed will involve horizontal scales on the order of 10's of kilometers while retaining sufficient horizontal resolution (~50m) to capture the important PBL physics. Our investigation focuses on large-scale horizontal heterogeneity in soil moisture and it's influence on the moisture structure of the PBL.