Papers by Valdir Innocentini
Revista Brasileira de …, 2002
A method combining the nudging and digital filter techniques is proposed to obtain the first-gues... more A method combining the nudging and digital filter techniques is proposed to obtain the first-guess for a limited area model (LAM). The method consists on the integrate the LAM model starting with a previous run valid at 6 hours before the first-guess target ...
Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2010
The influence of ocean gravity waves on the wind and temperature above the surface is investigate... more The influence of ocean gravity waves on the wind and temperature above the surface is investigated using a one-dimensional boundary layer model. The effect of the wave-induced stress is evaluated using three parameterizations: wave age (WaAg), wave steepness (WaSt), and wind action on the wave spectrum (WiAc). It is found that while the WaAg is more effective in reducing the wind for young waves, in the WaSt approach the maximum reduction is for old waves. On the other hand, the WiAc is very sensitive to the energy present in high frequencies corresponding to periods less than 2 s, which are found in both young and mature spectra. Since observations show that most of the wave stress is due to the small-period wave energy, in this aspect the WaSt parameterization is not recommended; WaAg is not as accurate; and thus WiAc is the best among the three, although its computational cost is the highest. The droplet load contribution to the total surface stress can be neglected for the droplet spectrum produced by 10-m wind speeds up to 15 m s 21 , but its importance increases with the speed and its magnitude becomes about 1 /5 of the total stress for wind speed ;30 m s 21. Concerning the latent and sensible heat fluxes accompanying the production of spume droplets by waves, a feasible microphysical formulation for operational use in weather forecasting models is proposed. The droplet spectrum is assumed to be a product of two functions, one depending on the windsea Reynolds number and the other on the droplet radius spectrum. The bulk effect of the latter is analytically evaluated and stored in a table as a function of air temperature T a , relative humidity R % , and significant wave height H s. In numerical experiments with initial sea surface temperature 5 K higher than the air surface, latent and sensible heat contributions to the air temperature are computed as a function of the wave spectra. The launched droplet spectrum (which increases the air temperature due to sensible heat) and the relative humidity (which controls the cooling due to the droplet evaporation) define the heat budget and the air temperature evolution. Although in these experiments the sea temperature is much higher than the air temperature, the results show a noticeable dominance of the evaporative cooling in the lower atmosphere mainly for smaller significant wave height. Some air warming is noticeable only from a threshold around H s $ 5 m.
Weather and Forecasting, 1996
During 9-11 August 1988, a cyclone developed over Uruguay in the lee of the Andes Mountains and m... more During 9-11 August 1988, a cyclone developed over Uruguay in the lee of the Andes Mountains and moved over the South Atlantic Ocean, where it redeveloped into an intense storm. This storm was responsible for unusual wave activity along the Brazilian shoreline from 22Њ to 32ЊS. The Brazilian news media reported the loss of at least one life, waves of 3 m and higher, and the disappearance of a drainage pipe, which weighed 8000 kg, off the shores of Rio de Janeiro. In this paper, the evolution of this intense storm and the associated ocean wave response is studied through European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyses, a hydrostatic limited-area meteorological model, and a second-generation prognostic wave model. The atmospheric model results indicated the presence of a long-lived and large fetch with surface wind velocities higher than 12 m s 01 directed toward the coast. Some areas with velocities of 20 m s 01 were embedded in the fetch. The wave model forced by this wind field was able to simulate waves with a significant height of 8 m far from the coast and about 4 m in regions very close to the Brazilian coast in agreement with the occurrence reported at Rio de Janeiro. The swell propagation toward the coast of Rio de Janeiro was obstructed by a northeastward 10-m wind during the first 24-h period of the model's integration. During the second 24-h period, the fetch was still large and strong, but the obstacle was removed by a counterclockwise rotation of wind direction favoring the swell and windsea propagation toward the Rio de Janeiro coast.
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Papers by Valdir Innocentini