Gray zone partitioning functions and parameterization of turbulence fluxes in the convective atmospheric boundary layer

In order to derive partitioning functions, representing the partitioning between subgrid and total fluxes, we make use of high-resolution large-eddy simulations (LES), which are performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. LES computations are performed for various levels of convective instability, ranging from pure buoyant to strongly sheared convection.

Then, the resulting reference-LES fields are successively coarse grained from its original microscale grid spacing ( Delta=50 m) up to typical mesoscale grid spacings ( Delta=3 km). The given process is applied by means of an advanced filter, that is, the Butterworth filter. It enables a clear scale-specific filtering that results in a more controlled energy transition from lower to higher wavenumbers, unlike the drawbacks of current filters in use.