Analyses and Numerical Studies of Mountain-Valley Circulations with 924-MHz Profilers

Mountain-valley circulations were investigated with 924-MHz profilers at two locations in complex terrain. The profilers were in continuous operation for more than two years. Hourly averages of the horizontal wind components were obtained for each month to provide information about wind fields, boundary layer structure, local-scale circulations, and interactions with regional-scale flow. Profiler data are combined with a network of surface atmospheric measurement systems and radiosonde measurements to obtain composite averages for specific types of flow regimes and land-surface conditions. Profiler measurments were compared with mesoscale model predictions of the lower-atmospheric wind fields for selected cases.