Outline of numerical models for local circulation is shown, and then fundamental characteristics of local circulations over complex terrain are discussed with the results of numerical simulation of thermally-induced local circulation over a periodic valley. Some findings by a linear model and a three-dimensional numerical model applied to Kanto-Chubu area are also shown.
During the daytime of clear calm days, heat is transported from the mountainous region to the valley area by up-slope winds and the return flows. The specific humidity is, however, transported in an inverse manner. The horizontal exchange rate of sensible heat has a similarity on the horizontal scale of the topography, as long as it is less than a critical width of about 100 km.
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