Countergradient Momentum Transport in Clear Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layers

Abstract The vertical profiles of the wind speed and direction in atmospheric boundary layers are strongly controlled by turbulence. Most global weather forecast and climate models parameterize the vertical transport of horizontal momentum by turbulent eddies by means of a downgradient eddy diffusion approach, in which the same stability‐dependent eddy viscosity profile is applied to both horizontal wind components. In this study we diagnose eddy viscosity profiles from large‐eddy simulations of five convective boundary layers with wind shear. Each simulation was forced by the same geostrophic wind of 7.5 , but with different surface heat fluxes in the range between 0.03 and 0.18 . We find that the eddy viscosity profiles for the two horizontal wind components differ significantly, in particular, we diagnose negative eddy viscosities, indicating vertical turbulent transport that is counter the mean gradient. This suggests that a purely downgradient diffusion approach for turbulent momentum fluxes is inadequate. A modified solution of the Ekman spiral demonstrates that different eddy viscosity profiles for the two horizontal wind components lead to a different wind profile. To improve parameterizations that apply a downgradient diffusion approach for momentum, correction terms to allow for non‐local, boundary‐layer scale transport should be incorporated.