Flow regimes over a basin induced by upstream katabatic flow--an idealized modeling study

The model topography is a simplified representation of the Meteor Crater and its surroundings, with an approximately 1 degrees mesoscale slope upstream and downstream of the crater basin. A strong surface-based inversion and a katabatic flow develop above the mesoscale slope as a result of radiational cooling.

The temperature and flow profiles are evaluated against observations over low-angle slopes from two field campaigns, showing that the model's turbulence parameterization has a strong impact on the near-surface conditions. The interaction of the katabatic flow with the basin topography leads to the formation of waves and hydraulic jumps over the basin. The simplified two-dimensional simulations show good qualitative agreement with observations of downslope-windstorm-type flows from the Meteor Crater.