Small Scale Simulation and Lidar Validation of a Shallow Land Breeze Front

As part of the Lake-Induced Convection Experiments (Lake-ICE) (Kristovich et al., 2000), on December 21, 1997 the University of Wisconsin Volume Imaging Lidar (UW-VIL) observed a persistent, shallow lake breeze circulation over western Lake Michigan. In this study, an attempt is made to simulate this small-scale flow using the University of Wisconsin Non-Hydrostatic Modeling System (UW-NMS) (Tripoli, 1992). Previous attempts at simulation of events at similar scales (Mayor, 2001; Moeng and Sullivan, 1994) have focused mainly around large eddy simulations (LES). Non-LES efforts towards simulating similar structures have typically had insufficient resolution to accurately simulate the small-scale processes occurring within the planetary boundary layer (Alpert and Neumann, 1983; Ballentine, 1982). With advances in computer technology however, nested, non-LES simulations have the ability to become more advanced through the utilization of larger high-resolution domains. The land breeze case chosen for this study represents the type of structure that, so far, has not been simulated at a high resolution, while still including the effects of large-scale atmospheric features. As mentioned above several efforts have been made at simulation of the land breeze, but many of these attempts have fallen short in reproducing some of the dynamical aspects of the circulation. The studies by Alpert and Neumann, and Ballentine focus more on the simulation of the occurrence of the land breeze, rather than the structure of the flow in and around the circulation. Sha, et al. (1991) completed a study that described, at a more in depth level, the structure of the circulation, the nose of the circulation, as