Nocturnal Flow on a Western Colorado Slope

The Department of Energy sponsored Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain (ASCOT) program has conducted a research program designed to increase our knowledge and understanding of terrain-dominated flows with specific emphasis on nocturnal flows within mountain valleys. ASCOT has sponsored both field studies and numerical modeling efforts to improve our understanding of the wind, temperature and turbulence structure of nocturnal drainage flows. One of the most recent ASCOT sponsored field studies involves a study within the Mesa Creek Basin in western Colorado to investigate the seasonal frequency of occurrence of drainage flows along the sloped surfaces and within the basin, and to evaluate the effect of the ambient meteorology on their development.