Daytime Heat Transfer Processes Related to Slope Flows and Turbulent Convection in an Idealized Mountain Valley

The mechanisms governing the daytime development of thermally driven circulations along the transverse axi of idealized two dimensional valleys are investigated by means of large eddy simulations In particular the impact of slope winds and turbulent convection on the heat transfer from the vicinity of the ground surface to the core of the valley atmosphere is examined The interaction between top down heating produced by compensating subsidence in the valley core and bottom up heating due to turbulent convection is described Finally an evaluation of the depth of the atmospheric layer affected by the slope wind system is provided