The upslope-downslope flow transition on a basin sidewall

Abstract

The late afternoon upslope-downslope flow transition on the west inner sidewall of Arizona's Meteor Crater, visualized by photographs of smoke dispersion, is investigated for 20 October 2006 using surface radiative and energy budget data and mean and turbulent flow profiles from three towers, two at different distances up the slope and one on the basin floor. The bowl-shaped crater allows the development of the upslope-downslope flow transition with minimal influence from larger-scale motions from outside and avoiding the upvalley-downvalley flow interactions typical of valleys. The slow downslope propagation of the shadow from the west rim causes a change in the surface radiation budget and the consequent loss of heat from the shallow atmospheric layer above the western slope at a time when the sun still heats the crater floor and the inner east sidewall. The onset of the katabatic flow is visualized by the dispersion of the smoke, and the onset occurs at the same time at the two slope towers. The katabatic flow arrives later at the crater floor, cooling the air and contributing to the stabilization of a shallow but strong inversion layer there. A wavelet analysis indicates that the initial upslope current is driven by crater-size scales, whereas the later downslope flow is influenced by the thermal gradient between opposing sidewalls generated by their different cooling rates. A comparison with other days suggests that the timing of the transition is also influenced by the presence of convective eddies in addition to the local energy balance.