Kelvin-Helmholtz billows in rising morning inversions

Abstract

Wavelike motions (similar to Kelvin-Helmholtz billows, KHBs) within the rising inversion layers during the morning transition of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are investigated. The KHBs were depicted in sodar echograms obtained in a rural terrain near Moscow (Russia) in 2011. Power spectra of the intensity of the sodar return signal were calculated from inversion layers and from convective areas underneath. Comparison of the dominant spectral maximums for the inversion and convective parts of the ABL show connection between convective plumes and KHBs.