A three-dimensional numerical simulations of mesoscale flow over KSC/CC area of Florida

The Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral (KSC/CC) environment consists of complex patterns of land and water that creates differential surface heating on scales of few hundred meters to those of the classical sea breeze. We here report an investigation of the extent to which the resulting mean flow field differs from that of the conventional sea-breeze circulation. The Kennedy Space Center Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (KABLE) was an observational program that included measurements from acoustic sounders, a high-resolution rawinsonde, and a tower network taken from November 1988 through October 1989. KABLE data document the 3-D structure of the atmospheric boundary layer, including small-scale features that add complexity to the sea-breeze circulation. We have numerically simulated the flow field observed on 13 November 1989 and compared the results with numerical experiments designed to isolate the effects of the small-scale flows and examine their influence on the classical sea breeze. 5 refs., 3 figs.