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A Multiscale Simulation Study of the Effects of Nantucket Island on Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow.

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Title: A Multiscale Simulation Study of the Effects of Nantucket Island on Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow.
Authors: Allouche, Mohammad1 (AUTHOR) allouche1@llnl.gov, Mirocha, Jeffrey D.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology. Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 6, p1-19. 19p.
Subjects: Atmospheric boundary layer, Large eddy simulation models, Multiscale modeling, Atmospheric physics, Islands, Wind power, Atmospheric circulation, Ocean temperature
Geographic Terms: Nantucket Island (Mass.)
Abstract: Multiscale atmospheric simulations were conducted to investigate how Nantucket Island modifies the marine atmospheric boundary layer flow (ABL), how the mechanisms responsible are represented in mesoscale versus large-eddy simulation (LES) domains, and potential impacts on wind energy production downstream, in moderate and high wind speed cases. To isolate the effects of the island, each case study was simulated i) with and without island topography included, and ii) with observed versus spatially uniform sea surface temperature (SST) values, the latter removing the influence of spatial variability in SST, while also enabling examination of how the island effects vary with near-surface thermodynamic stability over the surrounding ocean. Island effects were found to be strongest during daytime heating, which generates convective rolls that redistribute momentum vertically over the island and downstream. Colder SSTs and weaker winds strengthen these rolls and extend their influence. Flow statistics within a representative wind turbine rotor-swept area downstream show that while vertical momentum redistribution enhances near-surface wind speeds, those aloft decrease, resulting in minimal net change to rotor-equivalent wind speed, and slightly reduced vertical shear. Comparisons of mesoscale and LES domains reveal that both capture the roughness-driven near-surface slowdown, but mesoscale models under-estimate vertical momentum transport compared to LES, which explicitly resolve convective rolls. Increasing LES resolution beyond the grid spacing required to begin capturing the largest convective-roll structures ∼ O (100m) yields minimal additional momentum transport but increases resolved turbulence kinetic energy, relevant for stress loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: A Multiscale Simulation Study of the Effects of Nantucket Island on Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Allouche%2C+Mohammad%22">Allouche, Mohammad</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> allouche1@llnl.gov</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mirocha%2C+Jeffrey+D%2E%22">Mirocha, Jeffrey D.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Applied+Meteorology+%26+Climatology%22">Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 6, p1-19. 19p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atmospheric+boundary+layer%22">Atmospheric boundary layer</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Large+eddy+simulation+models%22">Large eddy simulation models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multiscale+modeling%22">Multiscale modeling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atmospheric+physics%22">Atmospheric physics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Islands%22">Islands</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wind+power%22">Wind power</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atmospheric+circulation%22">Atmospheric circulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ocean+temperature%22">Ocean temperature</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nantucket+Island+%28Mass%2E%29%22">Nantucket Island (Mass.)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Multiscale atmospheric simulations were conducted to investigate how Nantucket Island modifies the marine atmospheric boundary layer flow (ABL), how the mechanisms responsible are represented in mesoscale versus large-eddy simulation (LES) domains, and potential impacts on wind energy production downstream, in moderate and high wind speed cases. To isolate the effects of the island, each case study was simulated i) with and without island topography included, and ii) with observed versus spatially uniform sea surface temperature (SST) values, the latter removing the influence of spatial variability in SST, while also enabling examination of how the island effects vary with near-surface thermodynamic stability over the surrounding ocean. Island effects were found to be strongest during daytime heating, which generates convective rolls that redistribute momentum vertically over the island and downstream. Colder SSTs and weaker winds strengthen these rolls and extend their influence. Flow statistics within a representative wind turbine rotor-swept area downstream show that while vertical momentum redistribution enhances near-surface wind speeds, those aloft decrease, resulting in minimal net change to rotor-equivalent wind speed, and slightly reduced vertical shear. Comparisons of mesoscale and LES domains reveal that both capture the roughness-driven near-surface slowdown, but mesoscale models under-estimate vertical momentum transport compared to LES, which explicitly resolve convective rolls. Increasing LES resolution beyond the grid spacing required to begin capturing the largest convective-roll structures ∼ O (100m) yields minimal additional momentum transport but increases resolved turbulence kinetic energy, relevant for stress loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1175/JAMC-D-25-0182.1
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 19
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Atmospheric boundary layer
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Large eddy simulation models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multiscale modeling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Atmospheric physics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Islands
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wind power
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Atmospheric circulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ocean temperature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nantucket Island (Mass.)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: A Multiscale Simulation Study of the Effects of Nantucket Island on Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow.
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Allouche, Mohammad
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mirocha, Jeffrey D.
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 65
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              Value: 6
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology
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