Special characteristics of the boundary atmosphere in the city of Nadym according to experimental measurements and eddy-resolving modeling

The paper presents the results of studying the urban heat island formation in winter under the stable atmospheric stratification for small Arctic and subarctic cities (case study of the Nadym city). As a result of three measurement campaigns using contact and remote measurements, information was obtained on the intensity and vertical extent of the urban heat island. Simultaneous measurements of temperature and wind speed profiles within and outside the city showed that, with a strongly stable stratification, a mixed boundary layer is formed in the city with close to neutral stratification and a height of about 50 m. To explain the revealed phenomenon, LES modeling of the turbulent flow was carried out. A turbulent flow typical for winter conditions in a quasi-stationary, stable-stratified boundary layer above a flat surface was used as a flow approaching the city. A real 3D model of urban built-up area was used, obtained from the OpenStreetMap database and refined using the ArctiсDEM data and by visual evaluation of building height. The simulation results confirmed the formation of a mixed layer in the urban environment and showed that mechanical mixing of a stably stratified atmosphere is an important mechanism of urban heat island formation at the surface. This is confirmed by the fact that, according to calculations, the turbulent kinetic energy in the city is more than 10 times higher than the TKE outside its borders. The main source of TKE in the city is its shear generation at the height of buildings as they are flown around. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations have confirmed the existence of a pronounced urban heat island in small polar cities under stable stratification and for the first time made it possible to estimate the height of its vertical development.

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