User:Flygrl

Meteorology Info

Welcome to my page. I am a conspiring, perspiring and aspiring meteorologist. I am also a fluent hang glider pilot, a tiny particle in the miasma of the convective boundary layer. Here are a few of my favorite links:

Utah Avalanche Center Soaring Forecast

Constitution of Articles

A featured article is one that adheres to professional standards of writing and presentation and has been peer reviewed. It is factually accurate, well written,comprehensive and follows standards found in the manual of style. An A-class article is also well written, providing a reasonably comprehensive and clear presentation of the topic. It may lack peer review and additional editing. A good article is an adequate description of the topic, also adhering to style standards but less thorough and less lengthy than an A-class article. A B-class article is like a B-movie, usable by many but lacking for the discerning. It needs considerable editing, is missing singnificant references and may be replete with clarity, grammar and policy (i.e. lack of copyright info) problems. A starter article contains good content on the topic and includes at least one element of the following: a useful picture or graphic; multiple links providing further explanation; a thorough subheading; or multiple subheadings indicating additional material use. A stub article is generally a very short (unless filled with B.S.), rough collection of information requiring much development to upgrade. It is often only usable by those clueless on the topic.

Topic Proposal

I would like to do an entry on valley exit jets, since that is a topic of my current research with Dr. Whiteman. Pertinent information includes papers by Darby, Banta and Doran (all pdfs that I have, can provide a link on request and for Wik page). I also have a cool exit jet signature graphic produced by Dr. Whiteman from Andrew Schauer's Red Butte Data.

Wiki Draft Valley Exit Jet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A valley exit jet is a strong, down-valley, elevated air current that emerges above the intersection of the valley and its adjacent plain. These winds frequently reach a maximum of 20m/s (45mph) at a height of 40-200m above the ground. Surface winds below the jet may sway vegetation but are significantly weaker.

The presence of these strong nighttime down-valley air flows has been documented at the mouth of many Alpine valleys which merge with basins, such as the Inn Valley of Austria, where the jet is strong enough to be heard at the ground. In the United States, exit jet signatures have been observed at the North Fork of the Gunnison River at Paonia, CO, the exit of South Boulder Creek south of Boulder, CO and the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, UT. Other exit jets are likely to be found in valley regions which exhibit diurnal mountain wind systems, such as those of the dry mountain ranges of the US. These diurnal wind systems are driven by horizontal pressure gradients. Due to the abrupt transition over a short distance between the valley high pressure and the basin low pressure, the gradients are strongest near the valley exit, producing a jet.

Other meteorological factors acting to increase exit wind speeds are the acceleration of winds originating inside the valley as they travel to lower elevations downvalley, and the process of cold valley air sinking and ejecting into the plain. Deep valleys which terminate abruptly at a plain are more impacted by these factors than are those which become gradually shallower as downvalley distance increases.i Valley exit jets can play a major role in the mitigation of air pollution: 	Airflow emerging into the basin is cleaner due to lower aerosol content 	Vertical mixing resulting from directional shear and from the convergence of the jet with basin scale flows reduces ozone and other pollutants. 	Surface eddies created near canyon mouths inhibit the transport of pollution.ii

Methods of examining exit jets include remote sensing and direct observation. Sodar and Doppler Lidar have been used in numerous studies to identify, quantify and relate the jets to atmospheric transport of hazardous materials.iii Detailed profiles of winds at canyon exits can be directly observed and calculated using a single or double theodolite and tethersondes.

The identification and measurement of valley exit jets can also significantly aid in fire control and the development of wind energy. REFERENCES i  Whiteman, C. David (2000). Mountain Meteorology, p. 193. Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 0-19-513271-08, pp. 191-193.

ii Darby, L.S., and R.M. Banta (2006) The modulation of canyon flows by larger-scale influences. Preprints, 12th Conf. on Mountain Meteorology. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 14-4. iii Banta, R.M., L.D. Olivier, P.H. Gudiksen, and R. Lange, 1996: Implications of small-scale flow features to modeling dispersion over complex terrain. J. Appl. Meteor., 35:3, 330-342.