A Modeling Study of a Low-Level Jet along the Yun-Gui Plateau in South China

In this study, the three-dimensional structures and diurnal evolution of a typical low-level jet (LLJ) with a maximum speed of 24 m s(-1) occurring in the 850-800-hPa layer are examined using both large-scale analysis and a high-resolution model simulation. The LLJ occurred on the eastern foothills of the Yun-Gui Plateau in south China from 1400 LST 29 June to 1400 LST 30 June 2003. The effects of surface radiative heating, topography, and latent heat release on the development of the LLJ case are also studied. Results show that a western Pacific Ocean subtropical high and a low pressure system on the respective southeast and northwest sides of the LLJ provide a favorable large-scale mean pressure pattern for the LLJ development. The LLJ reaches its peak intensity at 850 hPa near 0200 LST with wind directions veering from southerly before sunset to southwesterly at midnight. A hodograph at the LLJ core shows a complete diurnal cycle of the horizontal wind with a radius of 5.5 m s(-1). It is found that in an LLJ coordinates system the along-LLJ geostrophic component regulates the distribution and 65% of the intensity of LLJ, whereas the ageostrophic component contributes to the clockwise rotation, thus leading to the formation and weakening of the LLJ during night- and daytime, respectively. Numerical sensitivity experiments confirm the surface radiative heating as the key factor in determining the formation of the nocturnal LLJ. The existence of the Yun-Gui Plateau, and the downstream condensational heating along the mei-yu front play secondary roles in the LLJ formation.