The Diurnal Temperature Cycle and Its Relation to Boundary-Layer Structure During the Morning Transition

Abstract

The morning portion of the near-surface diurnal temperature cycle is analyzed in combination with heat-flux and vertical temperature-gradient data. During summer, mean diurnal cycles of temperature rates-of-change show periods that can be related to defined points of the morning transition (MT). The start of the MT is clearly marked with a temperature discontinuity, apparent even on individual days, while the end of the transition is apparent only when using averages over many days. The findings concerning the timing of the MT using temperature cycle analysis correspond well with studies using heat-flux measurements. Mean diurnal cycles of temperature rates-of-change for stations in different urban and valley positions show differences that can partly be explained by apparent effects of the surroundings. For the valley situation, the timing differences and their relation to station position in the valley are generally plausible, while urban effects on the diurnal cycle are apparent but less distinct, which may be due to the small number of stations used. The results indicate that warming already begins before heat-flux crossover, which is the current definition of the beginning of the MT. This definition should be extended to include the phase between the temperature rate-of-change crossover and heat-flux crossover, which represents the early part of the MT before warming reaches instrument level.