A Radiative Model of the Stable Nocturnal Boundary Layer with Application to the Polar Night

Abstract

A graybody, longwave, radiative transfer model based on revised estimates of the absorption characteristics of CO₂ and H₂O is proposed. The model is computationally efficient and is designed for use within larger mesoscale primitive equation models. Tests have shown that the graybody model accurately simulates atmospheric heating rates as predicted by more detailed radiation models. When incorporated within a simple one-dimensional model, the radiation parameterization provides realistic simulations of the strong temperature inversion over the interior of Antarctica in winter.