Convective Boundary Layer Height Research Articles

Estimation of planetary boundary layer height from radiosonde profiles over West Africa during the AMMA field campaign: Intercomparison of different methods

Deducing realistic planetary boundary layer heights (PBLH) is crucial for weather, climate and air quality models, despite its equivocal nature. In this paper, a comparative assessment of seven PBLH estimation methods has been performed, with radiosonde profiles taken during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) project campaign from June, 2006 to July, 2007 over 18 locations in West Africa. First, PBLH was identified from the radiosonde profiles as the location of minimum gradients in mixing ratio (q), relative humidity (RH) and refractivity (N), and maximum gradient in potential temperature (θ). Other methods used to identify PBL tops were the statistical NS method and bulk Richardson (Rib) method at a critical threshold of 0.25. Next, a reference method (ho) was identified as the benchmark for PBL comparison. Visual inspection of the individual profiles allowed for assessing the ho method to yield reliable PBLH estimates. Thereafter, comparisons of the PBLH were performed for both convective and stable cases, with the stable boundary layer (SBL) height being generally below 700 m a.g.l for all methods, whereas, convective boundary layer (CBL) heights ranged between 300 m a.g.l and 1400 m a.g.l across different regions of the study area. Contrarily, the NS method failed to detect the SBL due to its inability to identify a dewpoint or virtual potential temperature discontinuity. Additionally, the Rib method, particularly in stable cases, yielded PBL tops consistent with the reference method (ho) whenever the NLLJ was clearly defined due to contribution of wind shear beneath the jet core to turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) production. Afterwards, the study domain was split into three zones and the performance of each method was assessed per each zone. Spatially, the CBL height was observed to grow thicker in the north-east direction over the dry, arid regions, where integral values of sensible heat rapidly converted by surface net radiation, has significant influence on the growth of CBL throughout daytime. Other likely reasons for this observation are advection, orography and mechanical turbulence production. However, a reversal was observed at night with the SBL being thinner in the dry, arid regions and rather relatively, higher in the coastal regions. Finally, the statistical assessment, coupled with visual inspection of the individual profiles, showed that the gradient methods (particularly N) outperformed the Rib and NS methods, yielding very low biases as well as, high and statistically significant correlation co-efficients. These results are useful for enhancing the performance of PBL models over the region. Possible limitations to the findings of this study are the different ascent times between the sites, as well as the number of ascents per site, which have potential implications for the results. Further work, based on observations from the DACCIWA (Dynamics-aerosol-chemistry-cloud interactions in West Africa) field campaign, is currently ongoing to also fully substantiate the role of radiation and energy budgets in PBL development, while further assessing their significant effect on the performance of the PBL-detection methods.

On the association between characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer and air pollution concentrations

Air pollution in the lower atmosphere is a global concern. Characteristics of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) are considered important determinants of the dispersion and the concentrations of pollutants. This work explores the association between characteristics of the PBL and corresponding air pollution data, separately for different PBL states. Five years (2014–2018) of twice daily (01:30 and 13:30 local time) high resolution radiosonde data were used to estimate the convective and stable boundary layer heights (CBL and SBL, respectively), and the temperature lapse rate, in Bet Dagan, Israel. In 23% of the nights, mostly cloudy ones, no indication for an SBL was found but a clear top of a ground–based residual layer (RBL) was detected. The concentrations of NO, NO2, NOx and PM2.5 were negatively correlated with the heights of the CBL and RBL but positively correlated with the SBL height. Their association with the lapse rate was always negative, weak in daytime (CBL) but very strong during the night (SBL and RBL). The associations with the O3 concentrations were opposite in sign to those with the primary pollutants. The PBL height using the bulk Richardson number method was most strongly associated with the CBL and RBL concentrations but we found it unsuitable for estimating the height of the SBL. Our results demonstrate the importance of accounting for the different states of the PBL. In particular, they suggest that during SBL conditions, the common practice of using the PBL volume as a determinant of pollutant concentrations might not be appropriate.

Large‐eddy simulation of catchment‐scale circulation

The impact of soil moisture heterogeneity on the convective boundary layer (CBL) development was studied. Based on results from large‐eddy simulation (LES) applying soil moisture patterns along a river corridor and idealized atmospheric vertical profiles as initial conditions, this study provides insight in the influence of spatial scale of soil moisture heterogeneity on catchment‐scale circulations (CCs) and the ensuing growth of the CBL. The simulation results show that the intensity of organized circulations resulting from soil moisture heterogeneity is nonlinearly dependent upon soil moisture heterogeneity scale λ (SMHS) and horizontal gradient. Because of the large SMHS and strong soil moisture contrast, none of the simulations has reached a true steady state even after 24 h of simulation time. The intensity of organized circulations shows a sigmoidal dependence on SMHS. The optimal SMHS for horizontal transport is on the order of 19.2 km, while optimal SMHS for vertical motions occurs at 2.4 km. In these cases, the CCs also exert a strong influence on the boundary‐layer structure and the entrainment layer. The potential temperature is not constant with height due to a weak mixing in the boundary layer for large SMHS cases. Differences in sensible heat flux profiles between the heterogeneous cases increase with increasing height and reach a maximum at the top of the CBL. Interestingly, boundary‐layer height changes strongly with changing horizontal soil moisture gradient and SMHS while domain means, variances, and amplitudes of land surface energy fluxes are all almost identical. The entrainment flux and subsidence at the top of the CBL are jointly responsible for the CBL height variation.

Local Convection and Turbulence in the Amazonia Using Large Eddy Simulation Model

Using a high resolution model of Large Eddies Simulation (LES), named PALM from PArallel LES Model, a set of simulations were performed to understand how turbulence and convection behave in a pasture and forest sites in Amazonia during the dry and rainy seasons. Related to seasonality, dry period presented higher differences of values (40 W m−2) and patterns over the sites, while in the wet period have more similar characteristics (difference of −10 W m−2). The pasture site had more convection than the forest, with effective mixing and a deeper boundary layer (2600 m). The vertical decrease of sensible heat flux with altitude fed convection and also influenced the convective boundary layer (CBL) height. Regarding the components of turbulent kinetic energy equation, the thermal production was the most important component and the dissipation rate responded with higher growth, especially in cases of greatest mechanical production at the forest surface reaching values up to −20.0.

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER OVER MAKASSAR

Some upper air atmospheric parameters measured during period of 2011-2016 by means of radiosonde located at Hasanuddin International Airport were examined for characterization of boundary layer over Makassar, Indonesia. These data, combined with surface atmospheric parameters were used to calculate some boundary layer parameters using AERMET model which based on Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The obtained Monin-Obukhov length which reflecting atmospheric stability then converted into traditional Pasquill-Gifford stability classification. Examination of wind characteristics of wind showing clearly their dependence of the day, season and height. Winds dominantly flows from the southeast during the daytime with the relatively larger velocity and from the northwest with smaller velocity during the nighttime. Interpretation of monin-obukhov length using Pasquill-Gifford stability classification showing that the atmosphere was dominantly unstable during the daytime and dominantly stable during the nighttime. These atmospheric stabilities were also varied during seasons. The height of convective boundary layer (CBL) was start to rise in the morning and reaching its maximum in the afternoon (18:00) at the mean value of 2 km. Meanwhile, the height of mechanical boundary layer (MBL) during the day time forming parabolic curve with its maximum value of 1.2 km at noon. These indicated that any released pollution from the stack will be less dispersed during the nighttime due to the fact of lower mixing height, lower wind speed, atmosphere become more stable, and it dispersed in different direction compare to the daytime.

Thermodynamic structure of the convective boundary layer (CBL) over the Indian monsoon region during CAIPEEX campaigns

Abstract. Spatial and temporal variability in the convective boundary layer (CBL) height for the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) study period are examined using the data collected from high-resolution radiosondes during May–September 2009 over the Indian monsoon region. In total, 57 radiosonde launchings were carried out at ∼ 11:00–17:00 IST over six different stations covering a large geographical region, ranging from latitude ∼ 13 to 32° N and longitude 73 to 92° E. Of the total 57 launchings, 17 were made during cloudy conditions during which relative humidity (RH) was found to be greater than 83 % for an ∼ 1.0 km layer at various altitudes below 6 km. Within the layer the difference between saturated equivalent potential temperature and equivalent potential temperature is small, and it satisfies the condition that RH > 83 % for about 1 km is considered as the cloudy layer. There are eight cases when the cloud-topped boundary layer (CTBL) and 19 cases when fair-weather boundary layer (FWBL) is observed. The CBL heights are obtained using thermodynamic profiles, which vary from ∼ 0.4 to 2.5 km a. g. l. The formation of the cloud layers above the boundary layer generally lowers the CBL height and is responsible for its day-to-day variability. The development of the cloud beneath the boundary layer generally elevates the CBL, which is also responsible for the large day-to-day variability in the CBL. The FWBL identified using relative invariance of the thermodynamic profiles varies from ∼ 2.0 to 5.5 km, which is clearly marked by a local minimum in the refractivity gradient. During cloudy days, the CBL is found to be shallow and the surface temperature lower when compared to clear-sky days. The CBL and the lifting condensation level (LCL) heights are randomly related and are found to be at a lower height during cloudy days when compared to clear-sky days. Finally, the typical comparison between the CBL height obtained using thermodynamic profiles and backscattering profiles using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) is examined.

Improved boundary layer height measurement using a fuzzy logic method: Diurnal and seasonal variabilities of the convective boundary layer over a tropical station

AbstractThis paper presents the efficacy of a “tuned” fuzzy logic method at determining the height of the boundary layer using the measurements from a 1280 MHz lower atmospheric radar wind profiler located in Gadanki (13.5°N, 79°E, 375 mean sea level), India, and discusses the diurnal and seasonal variations of the measured convective boundary layer over this tropical station. The original fuzzy logic (FL) method estimates the height of the atmospheric boundary layer combining the information from the range‐corrected signal‐to‐noise ratio, the Doppler spectral width of the vertical velocity, and the vertical velocity itself, measured by the radar, through a series of thresholds and rules, which did not prove to be optimal for our radar system and geographical location. For this reason the algorithm was tuned to perform better on our data set. Atmospheric boundary layer heights obtained by this tuned FL method, the original FL method, and by a “standard method” (that only uses the information from the range‐corrected signal‐to‐noise ratio) are compared with those obtained from potential temperature profiles measured by collocated Global Positioning System Radio Sonde during years 2011 and 2013. The comparison shows that the tuned FL method is more accurate than the other methods. Maximum convective boundary layer heights are observed between ~14:00 and ~15:00 local time (LT = UTC + 5:30) for clear‐sky days. These daily maxima are found to be lower during winter and postmonsoon seasons and higher during premonsoon and monsoon seasons, due to net surface radiation and convective processes over this region being more intense during premonsoon and monsoon seasons and less intense in winter and postmonsoon seasons.

PathfinderTURB: an automatic boundary layer algorithm. Development, validation and application to study the impact on in situ measurements at the Jungfraujoch

Abstract. We present the development of the PathfinderTURB algorithm for the analysis of ceilometer backscatter data and the real-time detection of the vertical structure of the planetary boundary layer. Two aerosol layer heights are retrieved by PathfinderTURB: the convective boundary layer (CBL) and the continuous aerosol layer (CAL). PathfinderTURB combines the strengths of gradient- and variance-based methods and addresses the layer attribution problem by adopting a geodesic approach. The algorithm has been applied to 1 year of data measured by two ceilometers of type CHM15k, one operated at the Aerological Observatory of Payerne (491 m a.s.l.) on the Swiss plateau and one at the Kleine Scheidegg (2061 m a.s.l.) in the Swiss Alps. The retrieval of the CBL has been validated at Payerne using two reference methods: (1) manual detections of the CBL height performed by human experts using the ceilometer backscatter data; (2) values of CBL heights calculated using the Richardson's method from co-located radio sounding data. We found average biases as small as 27 m (53 m) with respect to reference method 1 (method 2). Based on the excellent agreement between the two reference methods, PathfinderTURB has been applied to the ceilometer data at the mountainous site of the Kleine Scheidegg for the period September 2014 to November 2015. At this site, the CHM15k is operated in a tilted configuration at 71° zenith angle to probe the atmosphere next to the Sphinx Observatory (3580 m a.s.l.) on the Jungfraujoch (JFJ). The analysis of the retrieved layers led to the following results: the CAL reaches the JFJ 41 % of the time in summer and 21 % of the time in winter for a total of 97 days during the two seasons. The season-averaged daily cycles show that the CBL height reaches the JFJ only during short periods (4 % of the time), but on 20 individual days in summer and never during winter. During summer in particular, the CBL and the CAL modify the air sampled in situ at JFJ, resulting in an unequivocal dependence of the measured absorption coefficient on the height of both layers. This highlights the relevance of retrieving the height of CAL and CBL automatically at the JFJ.

Effects of Boundary Layer Height on the Model of Ground-Level PM2.5 Concentrations from AOD: Comparison of Stable and Convective Boundary Layer Heights from Different Methods

The aerosol optical depth (AOD) from satellites or ground-based sun photometer spectral observations has been widely used to estimate ground-level PM2.5 concentrations by regression methods. The boundary layer height (BLH) is a popular factor in the regression model of AOD and PM2.5, but its effect is often uncertain. This may result from the structures between the stable and convective BLHs and from the calculation methods of the BLH. In this study, the boundary layer is divided into two types of stable and convective boundary layer, and the BLH is calculated using different methods from radiosonde data and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data for the station in Beijing, China during 2014–2015. The BLH values from these methods show significant differences for both the stable and convective boundary layer. Then, these BLHs were introduced into the regression model of AOD-PM2.5 to seek the respective optimal BLH for the two types of boundary layer. It was found that the optimal BLH for the stable boundary layer is determined using the method of surface-based inversion, and the optimal BLH for the convective layer is determined using the method of elevated inversion. Finally, the optimal BLH and other meteorological parameters were combined to predict the PM2.5 concentrations using the stepwise regression method. The results indicate that for the stable boundary layer, the optimal stepwise regression model includes the factors of surface relative humidity, BLH, and surface temperature. These three factors can significantly enhance the prediction accuracy of ground-level PM2.5 concentrations, with an increase of determination coefficient from 0.50 to 0.68. For the convective boundary layer, however, the optimal stepwise regression model includes the factors of BLH and surface wind speed. These two factors improve the determination coefficient, with a relatively low increase from 0.65 to 0.70. It is found that the regression coefficients of the BLH are positive and negative in the stable and convective regression models, respectively. Moreover, the effects of meteorological factors are indeed related to the types of BLHs.

A study of the combined impact of boundary layer height and near-surface meteorology on the CO diurnal cycle at a low mountaintop site using simultaneous lidar and in-situ observations

Evaluations of air pollutants and trace gas measurements over mountaintop sites and their application in inverse transport models to estimate regional scale fluxes are oftentimes challenging due to the influences associated with atmospheric transport at both local and regional scales. The objective of this study is to investigate the diurnal cycle pattern of CO mixing ratio over a low mountaintop influenced by: (1) two different convective boundary layer (CBL) regimes (shallow and deep) and associated growth rates over the mountaintop, (2) the combined effect of a deep CBL with and without diurnal wind shift, and (3) slope flows and associated air mass transport. For this purpose, we used simultaneous measurements of lidar-derived CBL heights, standard meteorological variables, and CO2 and CO mixing ratio from Pinnacles, a mountaintop monitoring site in the Appalachian Mountains. We used both water vapor and CO2 mixing ratio as tracers for upslope flow air masses. We used case studies to focus on two different scenarios of daytime CO mixing ratio variability: (1) a gradual increase in the morning with a maximum in the afternoon, and (2) a gradual decrease in the morning with a minimum in the late afternoon. The second scenario is similar to the CO variability observed atop tall towers in flat terrain.Using the lidar-derived CBL height evolution and in situ CO, CO2 and meteorological measurements over the mountaintop, we found that the CBL height dynamics, regional scale wind shift, and upslope flow air masses arriving at the mountaintop in the morning affect the CO mixing ratio variability during the remaining part of the diurnal cycle. These findings help introduce a conceptual framework that can explain and differentiate the opposite patterns (i.e. daytime increase versus daytime decrease) in the CO diurnal cycles over a mountaintop site affected by upslope flows and provide new roadmaps for monitoring and assimilating trace gas mixing ratios into applications requiring regionally-representative measurements.

Evaluation of retrieval methods of daytime convective boundary layer height based on lidar data

AbstractThe atmospheric boundary layer height is a basic parameter in describing the structure of the lower atmosphere. Because of their high temporal resolution, ground‐based lidar data are widely used to determine the daytime convective boundary layer height (CBLH), but the currently available retrieval methods have their advantages and drawbacks. In this paper, four methods of retrieving the CBLH (i.e., the gradient method, the idealized backscatter method, and two forms of the wavelet covariance transform method) from lidar normalized relative backscatter are evaluated, using two artificial cases (an idealized profile and a case similar to real profile), to test their stability and accuracy. The results show that the gradient method is suitable for high signal‐to‐noise ratio conditions. The idealized backscatter method is less sensitive to the first estimate of the CBLH; however, it is computationally expensive. The results obtained from the two forms of the wavelet covariance transform method are influenced by the selection of the initial input value of the wavelet amplitude. Further sensitivity analysis using real profiles under different orders of magnitude of background counts show that when different initial input values are set, the idealized backscatter method always obtains consistent CBLH. For two wavelet methods, the different CBLH are always obtained with the increase in the wavelet amplitude when noise is significant. Finally, the CBLHs as measured by three lidar‐based methods are evaluated by as measured from L‐band soundings. The boundary layer heights from two instruments coincide with ±200 m in most situations.

Application of Convective Condensation Level Limiter in Convective Boundary Layer Height Retrieval Based on Lidar Data

Micro pulse lidar is a promising tool for retrieving the convective boundary layer height (CBLH), but its application has been hindered by sharp extinction of the signal in high humidity conditions, e.g., clouds. To remedy this, we developed an effective and simple limiter to obtain more accurate estimates of the CBLH. The limiter is based on the algorithm for the convective condensation level (CCL) and is aimed at limiting the vertical extent of the lidar backscatter profile used in lidar methods to search for the CBLH. Four lidar methods (i.e., the gradient method, the idealized backscatter method, and two forms of the wavelet covariance methods) are used to calculate the CBLH with (or without) the limiter added. Compared to the CBLH calculated by the parcel method from microwave radiometer temperature data, more accurate retrieval of the CBLH is carried out with the limiter applied in four cloudy cases.

Electrodynamic properties and height of atmospheric convective boundary layer

We consider the relations between the mixed layer height and atmospheric electric parameters affected by convective mixing. Vertical turbulent transport of radon, its progeny and electrically charged particles is described under Lagrangian stochastic framework, which is the next step to develop a consistent model for the formation of electrical conditions in the atmospheric boundary layer. Using the data from detailed and complex measurements of vertical profiles of the temperature and turbulence statistics as input, we calculated non-stationary vertical profiles of radon and its daughter products concentrations, atmospheric electric conductivity and intensity of electric field in the convective boundary layer from the morning transition through early afternoon quasi-stationary conditions. These profiles demonstrate substantial variability due to the changing turbulent regime in the evolving boundary layer. We obtained quantitative estimates of the atmospheric electric field variability range essentially related to the sunrise and convection development. It is shown that the local change in the electrical conductivity is the only factor that can change the intensity of electric field at the earth's surface more than twice during the transition from night to day. The established relations between electric and turbulent parameters of the boundary layer indicate that the effect of sunrise is more pronounced in the case when development of convection is accompanied by an increase in aerosol concentration and, hence, a decrease in local conductivity.

SODAR pattern classification and its dependence on meteorological parameters over a semiarid region of India

ABSTRACTThe variability of the atmospheric boundary layer together with meteorological parameters has been investigated over the semi-arid region Delhi. Two sources of the dataset have been used: sound detection and ranging (SODAR) and automatic weather station during the period from December 2013 to November 2014. A Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW)-based programme has been developed to plot the stability class from A to F directly from the mixing height dataset. Based on the SODAR echograms and mixing height, temporal and seasonal variability of stability classes has been estimated. It is observed that the convective boundary layer height advances and decreases during the daytime depending on the increase and decrease of surface temperature due to solar heating of the ground. From seasonal classification of the stability class, it is observed that the class A and class E are dominated in convection and nocturnal periods in all seasons, whereas class F is not found during the winter and pre-monsoon seasons. Impact of meteorological parameters, that is, wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity on mixing height during different seasons has also been studied.

Diurnal variability of the atmospheric boundary layer height over a tropical station in the Indian monsoon region

Abstract. The diurnal variation of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height is studied using high-resolution radiosonde observations available at 3 h intervals for 3 days continuously from 34 intensive campaigns conducted during the period December 2010–March 2014 over a tropical station Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E; 375 m), in the Indian monsoon region. The heights of the ABL during the different stages of its diurnal evolution, namely, the convective boundary layer (CBL), the stable boundary layer (SBL), and the residual layer (RL) are obtained to study the diurnal variabilities. A clear diurnal variation is observed in 9 campaigns out of the 34 campaigns. In 7 campaigns the SBL did not form in the entire day and in the remaining 18 campaigns the SBL formed intermittently. The SBL forms for 33–55 % of the time during nighttime and 9 and 25 % during the evening and morning hours, respectively. The mean SBL height is within 0.3 km above the surface which increases slightly just after midnight (02:00 IST) and remains almost constant until the morning. The mean CBL height is within 3.0 km above the surface, which generally increases from morning to evening. The mean RL height is within 2 km above the surface which generally decreases slowly as the night progresses. The diurnal variation of the ABL height over the Indian region is stronger during the pre-monsoon and weaker during winter season. The CBL is higher during the summer monsoon and lower during the winter season while the RL is higher during the winter season and lower during the summer season. During all the seasons, the ABL height peaks during the afternoon (∼ 14:00 IST) and remains elevated until evening (∼ 17:00 IST). The ABL suddenly collapses at 20:00 IST and increases slightly in the night. Interestingly, it is found that the low level clouds have an effect on the ABL height variability, but the deep convective clouds do not. The lifting condensation level (LCL) is generally found to occur below the ABL for the majority of the database and they are randomly related.

Effect of a cold, dry air incursion on atmospheric boundary layer processes over a high-altitude lake in the Tibetan Plateau

High-altitude lakes are frequently exposed to extreme meteorological conditions, but the surface and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) processes have received little attention under specific weather conditions. This study used the multi-source field data, re-analysis and remote sensing data to investigate the varying patterns and driving forces of the convective boundary layer (CBL) height over Ngoring Lake in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) before and after the cold air incursion. Daily cumulative surface heat flux and buoyancy flux over the land were markedly larger than those over the lake on a clear summer day, but an opposite pattern was observed accompanied by the cold air incursion. CBLs determined by the potential temperature thinned (depth<100m) over the lake in the daytime and thickened (400–600m) at night on a clear day. Along with the arrival of the cold air, CBL rapidly thickened to 2280m over the lake, exceeded than the maximum value at adjacent Madoi station. Cold air dramatically cooled the middle-upper atmosphere but the temperature of the lower atmosphere cooled down slowly, partly due to a sharp increase of sensible heat flux over the lake, both of which linked up to weaken the potential temperature gradient. Moreover, increasing wind speed and vertical wind shear further facilitated the buoyancy flux to exert higher heat convection efficiency. All of these factors acted together to cause the rapid growth of CBL over the lake. This investigation provided a more in-depth knowledge of boundary layer dynamics in the lake-rich region of the TP.

Saharan dust contribution to the Caribbean summertime boundary layer – a lidar study during SALTRACE

Abstract. Dual-wavelength lidar measurements with the small lidar system POLIS of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München were performed during the SALTRACE experiment at Barbados in June and July 2013. Based on high-accuracy measurements of the linear depolarization ratio down to about 200 m above ground level, the dust volume fraction and the dust mass concentration within the convective marine boundary layer can be derived. Additional information from radiosonde launches at the ground-based measurement site provide independent information on the convective marine boundary layer height and the meteorological situation within the convective marine boundary layer. We investigate the lidar-derived optical properties, the lidar ratio and the particle linear depolarization ratio at 355 and 532 nm and find mean values of 0.04 (SD 0.03) and 0.05 (SD 0.04) at 355 and 532 nm, respectively, for the particle linear depolarization ratio, and (26 ± 5) sr for the lidar ratio at 355 and 532 nm. For the concentration of dust in the convective marine boundary layer we find that most values were between 20 and 50 µgm−3. On most days the dust contribution to total aerosol volume was about 30–40 %. Comparing the dust contribution to the column-integrated sun-photometer measurements we see a correlation between high dust contribution, high total aerosol optical depth and a low Angström exponent, and of low dust contribution with low total aerosol optical depth.

Investigation of the Spatial Variability of the Convective Boundary Layer Heights over an Isolated Mountain: Cases from the MATERHORN-2012 Experiment

AbstractSpatiotemporal variability in the convective boundary layer height zi over complex terrain is governed by numerous factors such as land surface processes, topography, and synoptic conditions. Observational datasets to evaluate weather forecast models that simulate this variability are sparse. This study aims to investigate the zi spatial variability (along a total leg length of 1800 km) around and over a steep isolated mountain (Granite Mountain) of horizontal and vertical dimensions of 8 and 0.9 km, respectively. An airborne Doppler lidar was deployed on seven flights during the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observations (MATERHORN) campaign conducted at Dugway Proving Ground (Utah) from 25 September to 24 October 2012. During the afternoon, an east–west zi gradient over the region with zi that was approximately 200 m higher on the eastern side than on the western side of Granite Mountain was observed. This gradient illustrates the impact of two different land surface properties on zi spatial variability, with a sparsely vegetated desert steppe region on the east and a dry, bare lake-bed desert with high subsurface soil moisture to the west of Granite Mountain. Additionally, the zi spatial variability was partly attributed to the impact of Granite Mountain on the downwind zi. Differences in zi were also observed by the radiosonde measurements in the afternoon but not in the morning as the zi variability in morning were modulated by the topography. The high-resolution lidar-derived zi measurements were used to estimate the entrainment zone thickness in the afternoon, with estimates ranging from 100 to 250 m.

ESTIMATIVA DA PARTIÇÃO DE ENERGIA NA SUPERFÍCIE

This paper is a complementary analysis to method development, which proposes to estimate the energy partition on the surface by Bowen ratio method and height of convective boundary layer on the monthly scale based on the average temporal evolution of the variables air temperature and specific humidity. The basic hypothesis is that the evolution of these quantities is controlled solely by the convergence of surface fluxes of sensible and latent heat. This assumption is valid for monthly scale and in regions of middle latitudes away from the coast. Thus, it is assumed that the advective terms of the balance equation of these quantities in the convective boundary layer, the prefrontal situations and post-frontal have opposite sign. Therefore, using for a longer time scale than the typical scale of the passage of synoptic systems, the cancellation terms of hypothesis can be tested. In this study, the method is applied to the region of Santa Maria, where it is assumed that the conditions allowing despise the advective terms in monthly scale are valid. When testing the method on different time scales: 5,10,15,20 and 30 days, smaller errors temperature and specific humidity were for 15 and 30 days, while the sensible heat and latent heat fluxes showed lower relative errors at 20 and 30 days, respectively.

Taklimakan Desert nocturnal low-level jet: climatology and dust activity

Abstract. While nocturnal low-level jets (NLLJs) occur frequently in many parts of the world, the occurrence and other detailed characteristics of NLLJs over the Taklimakan Desert (TD) are not well known. This paper presents a climatology of NLLJs and coincident dust over the TD by analyzing multi-year ERA-Interim reanalysis and satellite observations. It is found that the ERA-Interim dataset can capture the NLLJs' features well by comparison with radiosonde data from two surface sites. The NLLJs occur in more than 60 % of nights, which are primarily easterly to east-northeasterly. They typically appear at 100 to 400 m above the surface with a speed of 4 to 10 m s−1. Most NLLJs are located above the nocturnal inversion during the warm season, while they are embedded in the inversion layer during the cold season. NLLJs above the inversion have a strong annual cycle with a maximum frequency in August. We also quantify the convective boundary layer (CBL) height and construct an index to measure the magnitude of the momentum in the CBL. We find that the magnitude of momentum in the lower atmosphere from the top of the surface layer to the top of mixed layer is larger for NLLJ cases than for non-NLLJ cases, and in the warm season the downward momentum transfer process is more intense and rapid. The winds below the NLLJ core to the desert surface gain strength in summer and autumn, and these summer and autumn winds are coincident with an enhancement of aerosol optical depth. This indicates that the NLLJ is an important mechanism for dust activity and transport during the warm season over the Taklimakan.