Abstract

Abstract. In this study, we analyze the transition of a stable atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) with a low-level jet (LLJ) to a traditional stable ABL with a classic Ekman helix in the late-winter central Arctic. Vertical profiles in the ABL were measured with a hot-wire anemometer on a tethered balloon during a 15 h period in March 2018 in northeast Greenland. The tethered balloon allows high-resolution turbulence observations from the ground to the top of the ABL. The core of the LLJ was observed at about 150 m altitude, and its height and strength were associated with the temperature inversion. Increased turbulence was observed in the vicinity of the LLJ, but most of the turbulence does not reach down to the surface, thus decoupling the LLJ from the surface. Only when the LLJ collapses and the ABL again exhibits a more classical Ekman spiral is a coupling to the surface re-established. The LLJ might enhance both advective and turbulent vertical transport of passive tracers such as aerosol particles or moisture in the often stably stratified Arctic ABL.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.