Numerical modeling of nocturnal vertical thermal diffusion in the marine atmosphere for temperature inversion diagnosis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65093/aci.v17.n2.2026.56Keywords:
marine boundary layer, thermal inversion, turbulent mixing, sea surface temperatureAbstract
A one-dimensional model is presented to represent nocturnal vertical thermal diffusion in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and diagnose operationally relevant temperature inversions. The objective was to evaluate the system response under four synthetic air-sea thermal contrasts and wind scenarios using a parabolic diffusion equation with stability-dependent turbulent diffusivity, a sensible-heat-flux lower boundary condition, and constant radiative cooling. The problem was solved with a Crank-Nicolson scheme in a 600 m column over 6 h. Results show that colder-sea and weaker-wind cases develop stronger inversions, whereas the control case with a warmer sea surface does not exceed the diagnostic threshold. The maximum integrated intensity was obtained in E3. It is concluded that the scheme consistently reproduces the transition between regimes with and without inversion and provides a traceable basis for future validation.
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