Shallow Boundary Layer Research Articles

Local and Remote Climate Impacts from Expansion of Woody Biomass for Bioenergy Feedstock in the Southeastern United States

Many efforts have been taken to find energy alternatives to reduce anthropogenic influences on climate. Recent studies have shown that using land for bioenergy plantations may be more cost effective and provide a greater potential for CO2 abatement than using land for carbon sequestration. Native southern U.S. pines (i.e., loblolly) have excellent potential as bioenergy feedstocks. However, the land-cover change due to expansion of biofuels may impact climate through biophysical feedbacks. Here, the authors access the local and remote consequences of greater forest management and biofuel feedstock expansion on climate and hydrology using a global climate model, the NCAR Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4). The authors examine a plausible U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) biofuel feedstock goal by afforesting 50 million acres of C4 grasslands in the southeastern United States with an optimized loblolly plant functional type. Changes in sensible and latent heat fluxes are related to increased surface roughness, reduced bare-ground evaporation, and changes in stomatal conductance. In the coupled simulations, these mechanisms lead to a 1°C cooling, higher atmospheric stability, and a more shallow planetary boundary layer over the southeastern United States during the summer; in winter, a cooling of up to 0.25°C between 40° and 60°N, a weakened Aleutian low, and a wetter Australia occurs. A weakened Aleutian low shifts the North Pacific storm track poleward in the future loblolly scenarios. These local and global impacts suggest that biophysical feedbacks need to be considered when evaluating the benefits of bioenergy feedstock production.

Climatology of the planetary boundary layer over the continental United States and Europe

Although boundary layer processes are important in climate, weather and air quality, boundary layer climatology has received little attention, partly for lack of observational data sets. We analyze boundary layer climatology over Europe and the continental U.S. using a measure of boundary layer height based on the bulk Richardson number. Seasonal and diurnal variations during 1981–2005 are estimated from radiosonde observations, a reanalysis that assimilates observations, and two contemporary climate models that do not. Data limitations in vertical profiles introduce height uncertainties that can exceed 50% for shallow boundary layers (<1 km) but are generally <20% for deeper boundary layers. Climatological heights are typically <1 km during daytime and <0.5 km at night over both regions. Seasonal patterns for daytime and nighttime differ; daytime heights are larger in summer than winter, but nighttime heights are larger in winter. The four data sets show similar patterns of spatial and seasonal variability but with biases that vary spatially, seasonally, and diurnally. Compared with radiosonde observations, the reanalysis and the climate models produce deeper layers due to difficulty simulating stable conditions. The higher‐time‐resolution reanalysis reveals the diurnal cycle in height, with maxima in the afternoon, and with amplitudes that vary seasonally (larger in summer) and regionally (larger over western U.S. and southern Europe). The lower‐time‐resolution radiosonde data and climate model simulations capture diurnal variations better over Europe than over the U.S., due to differences in local sampling times.

Meteorological conditions in the central Arctic summer during the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS)

Abstract. Understanding the rapidly changing climate in the Arctic is limited by a lack of understanding of underlying strong feedback mechanisms that are specific to the Arctic. Progress in this field can only be obtained by process-level observations; this is the motivation for intensive ice-breaker-based campaigns such as the Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study (ASCOS), described here. However, detailed field observations also have to be put in the context of the larger-scale meteorology, and short field campaigns have to be analysed within the context of the underlying climate state and temporal anomalies from this. To aid in the analysis of other parameters or processes observed during this campaign, this paper provides an overview of the synoptic-scale meteorology and its climatic anomaly during the ASCOS field deployment. It also provides a statistical analysis of key features during the campaign, such as key meteorological variables, the vertical structure of the lower troposphere and clouds, and energy fluxes at the surface. In order to assess the representativity of the ASCOS results, we also compare these features to similar observations obtained during three earlier summer experiments in the Arctic Ocean: the AOE-96, SHEBA and AOE-2001 expeditions. We find that these expeditions share many key features of the summertime lower troposphere. Taking ASCOS and the previous expeditions together, a common picture emerges with a large amount of low-level cloud in a well-mixed shallow boundary layer, capped by a weak to moderately strong inversion where moisture, and sometimes also cloud top, penetrate into the lower parts of the inversion. Much of the boundary-layer mixing is due to cloud-top cooling and subsequent buoyant overturning of the cloud. The cloud layer may, or may not, be connected with surface processes depending on the depths of the cloud and surface-based boundary layers and on the relative strengths of surface-shear and cloud-generated turbulence. The latter also implies a connection between the cloud layer and the free troposphere through entrainment at cloud top.

The lofting of Western Pacific regional aerosol by island thermodynamics as observed around Borneo

Abstract. Vertical profiles of aerosol chemical composition, number concentration and size were measured throughout the lower troposphere of Borneo, a large tropical island in the western Pacific Ocean. Aerosol composition, size and number concentration measurements (using an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe and Condensation Particle Counter, respectively) were made both upwind and downwind of Borneo, as well as over the island itself, on board the UK BAe-146 research aircraft as part of the OP3 project. Two meteorological regimes were identified – one dominated by isolated terrestrial convection (ITC) which peaked in the afternoon, and the other characterised by more regionally active mesoscale convective systems (MCS). Upwind profiles show aerosol to be confined to a shallow marine boundary layer below 930 ± 10 hPa (~760 m above sea level, a.s.l.). As this air mass advects over the island with the mean free troposphere synoptic flow during the ITC-dominated regime, it is convectively lofted above the terrestrial surface mixed layer to heights of between 945 ± 22 (~630 m a.s.l.) and 740 ± 44 hPa (~2740 m a.s.l.), consistent with a coupling between the synoptic steering level flow and island sea breeze circulations. Terrestrial aerosol was observed to be lofted into this higher layer through both moist convective uplift and transport through turbulent diurnal sea-breeze cells. At the peak of convective activity in the mid-afternoons, organic aerosol loadings in the lofted layer were observed to be substantially higher than in the morning (by a mean factor of three). This organic matter is dominated by secondary aerosol from processing of biogenic gas phase precursors. Aerosol number concentration profiles suggest formation of new particles aloft in the atmosphere. By the time the air mass reaches the west coast of the island, terrestrial aerosol is enhanced in the lofted layer. Such uplift of aerosol in Borneo is expected to increase aerosol lifetimes in the lower free troposphere downwind, as they are above the boundary layer and therefore less likely to be lost by wet or dry deposition. It is also likely to change the role they play in the semi-direct and direct aerosol effects. The long chain of islands extending from Malaysia to Australia may all similarly be expected to present an orographic barrier to low level mean flow. This would lead to significant transport of aerosol into the tropical free troposphere across the Western Pacific region.

Introducing surface waves in a coupled wave‐atmosphere regional climate model: Impact on atmospheric mixing length

The marine atmospheric boundary layer is strongly influenced by the moving surface in the presence of surface waves; the impact depends on the wave conditions and the interaction with the atmosphere. Previous studies using measurements as well as numerical simulations with large‐eddy simulations have shown that surface waves propagating faster than the wind (swell) alter the surface exchange as well as turbulence properties in the atmosphere. This impact is here introduced in a coupled wave‐atmosphere regional climate model with a so‐called E − l turbulence scheme (where E is the turbulent kinetic energy and l is a mixing length). A wave age dependent coefficient (here called Wmix) is added to the mixing length in the turbulence parameterization. This acts similarly to inducing additional convection, with larger mixing length and increased eddy diffusivity, when we have near neutral stratification and strong swell. For shallow boundary layers the regional coupled climate model shows a larger response to the introduced wave coupling with increased near surface wind speed and smaller wind gradient between the surface and middle part of the boundary layer. The impact for the studied areas is relatively minor for parameters averaged over 1 year, but for limited periods and specific situations the impact is larger. One could expect a larger impact in areas with stronger swell dominance. We thus conclude that the impact of swell waves on the mixing in the boundary layer is not insignificant and should be taken into account when developing wave‐atmosphere coupled regional climate models or global climate models.

Near wake structure behind a 3D square prism with the aspect ratio of 2.7 in a shallow boundary layer flow

Three dimensional structures of unsteady flows behind a square prism with aspect ratio H/D=2.7 in a shallow boundary layer flow are investigated by two dimensional and three dimensional stereoscopic PIV techniques synchronizing with velocity measurement by a hot wire anemometer. According to the conditional PIV image sampling technique conducted by using the velocity signal measured outside the separated shear layer, it becomes clear that an arch-type vortex is formed behind the prism throughout a cycle of the Kármán vortex formation and shedding. As the vortex grows and moves downstream, the vortex line stretches in a stream-wise direction near the tip of the vortex which does not move and stays still just behind the prism throughout a cycle. According to POD analysis, the wake fluctuates very slowly with a period of approximately 6 times of that of the Kármán vortex shedding.

Limited-are a modelling of stratocumulus over South-Eastern Pacific

Abstract. This paper presents application of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to limited-area modeling of atmospheric processes over the subtropical south-eastern Pacific, with the emphasis on the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer. The simulations cover a domain from the VAMOS (Variability of the American Monsoon Systems) Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) field project conducted in the subtropical south-eastern Pacific in October and November 2008. We focus on a day where the UK's BAe-146 research aircraft encountered Pockets of Open Cells (POCs) at the very western edge of its flight track, rather than on the entire campaign as investigated in previous limited-area modeling studies. Model results are compared to aircraft observations with the main conclusion that the simulated stratocumulus-topped boundary layer is significantly too shallow. This appears to be a combination of an already too shallow boundary layer in the dataset used to provide initial and lateral boundary conditions, and the inability of the WRF model to increase the boundary-layer height. Several sensitivity simulations, applying different subgrid-scale parameterizations available in the model, a larger computational domain and longer simulations, as well as a different dataset providing initial and lateral boundary conditions were all tried to improve the simulation. These changes appeared to have a rather small effect on the results. The model does simulate the formation of mesoscale cloud-free regions that one might consider similar to Pockets of Open Cells observed in nature. However, formation of these regions does not seem to be related to drizzle-induced transition from open- to closed-cell circulations as simulated by LES models. Instead, the cloud-free regions appear to result from mesoscale variations of the lower-tropspheric vertical velocity. Areas of negative vertical velocity with minima (a few cm s−1) near the boundary layer top seem to induce direct evaporation of the cloud layer. It remains to be seen in LES studies whether the mechanism seen in the model is realistic or if it is simply an artifact of interactions between resolved and parameterized processes.

How Total Precipitable Water Vapor Anomalies Relate to Cloud Vertical Structure

Abstract The NOAA operational total precipitable water (TPW) anomaly product is available to forecasters to display percentage of normal TPW in real time for applications like heavy precipitation forecasts. In this work, the TPW anomaly is compared to multilayer cloud frequency and vertical structure. The hypothesis is tested that the TPW anomaly is reflective of changes in cloud vertical distribution, and that anomalously moist atmospheres have more and deeper clouds, while dry atmospheres have fewer and thinner clouds. Cloud vertical occurrence profiles from the CloudSat 94-GHz radar and the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) are composited according to TPW anomaly for summer and winter from 2007 to 2010. Three geographic regions are examined: the North Pacific (NPAC), the tropical east Pacific (Niño), and the Mississippi Valley (MSVL), which is a land-only region. Cloud likelihood increases as TPW anomaly values increase beyond 100% over MSVL and Niño. Over NPAC, shallow boundary layer cloud occurrence is not a function of TPW anomaly, while high clouds and deep clouds throughout the troposphere are more likely at higher TPW anomalies. In the Niño region, boundary layer clouds grow vertically as the TPW anomaly increases, and the anomaly range is smaller than in the midlatitudes. In summer, the MSVL region resembles Niño, but boundary layer clouds are observed less frequently than expected. The wintertime MSVL results do not show any compelling relationship, perhaps because of the difficulties in computing TPW anomaly in a very dry atmosphere.

Sensitivity in the Overland Reintensification of Tropical Cyclone Erin (2007) to Near-Surface Soil Moisture Characteristics

Abstract This study investigates the impact of abnormally moist soil conditions across the southern Great Plains upon the overland reintensification of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Erin (2007). This is tested by analyzing the contributions of three soil moisture–related signals—a seasonal signal, an along-track rainfall signal, and an early postlandfall rainfall signal—to the intensity of the vortex. In so doing, a suite of nine convection-permitting numerical simulations using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-ARW) is used. Of the signals tested, soil moisture contributions from the anomalously wet months preceding Erin are found to have the greatest positive impact upon the intensity of the vortex, though this impact is on the order of that from climatological soil moisture conditions. The greatest impact of the early rainfall signal contributions is found when it is added to the seasonal signal. Along-track rainfall during the simulation period has a minimal impact. Variations in soil moisture content result in impacts upon the boundary layer thermodynamic environment via boundary layer mixing. Greater soil moisture content results in weaker mixing, a shallower boundary layer, and greater moisture and instability. Differences in the intensity of convection that develops and its accompanying latent heat release aloft result in greater warm-core development and surface vortex intensification within the simulations featuring greater soil moisture content. Implications of these findings to the tropical cyclone development process are discussed. Given that the reintensification is shown to occur in, apart from land, an otherwise favorable environment for tropical cyclone development and results in a vortex with a structure similar to developing tropical cyclones, these findings provide new insight into the conditions under which tropical cyclones develop.

Longpath DOAS observations of surface BrO at Summit, Greenland

Abstract. Reactive halogens, and in particular bromine oxide (BrO), have frequently been observed in regions with large halide reservoirs, for example during bromine catalyzed coastal polar ozone depletion events. Much less is known about the presence and impact of reactive halogens in areas without obvious halide reservoirs, such as the polar ice sheets or continental snow. We report the first LP-DOAS measurements of BrO at Summit research station in the center of the Greenland ice sheet at an altitude of 3200 m. BrO mixing ratios in May 2007 and June 2008 were typically between 1–3 pmol mol−1, with maxima of up to 5 pmol mol−1. These measurements unequivocally show that halogen chemistry is occurring in the remote Arctic, far from known bromine reservoirs, such as the ocean. During periods when FLEXPART retroplumes show that airmasses resided on the Greenland ice sheet for 3 or more days, BrO exhibits a clear diurnal variation, with peak mixing ratios of up to 3 pmol mol−1 in the morning and at night. The diurnal cycle of BrO can be explained by a changing boundary layer height combined with photochemical formation of reactive bromine driven by solar radiation at the snow surface. The shallow stable boundary layer in the morning and night leads to an accumulation of BrO at the surface, leading to elevated BrO despite the expected smaller release from the snowpack during these times of low solar radiation. During the day when photolytic formation of reactive bromine is expected to be highest, efficient mixing into a deeper neutral boundary layer leads to lower BrO mixing ratios than during mornings and nights. The extended period of contact with the Greenland snowpack combined with the diurnal profile of BrO, modulated by boundary layer height, suggests that photochemistry in the snow is a significant source of BrO measured at Summit during the 2008 experiment. In addition, a rapid transport event on 4 July 2008, during which marine air from the Greenland east coast was rapidly transported to Summit, led to enhanced mixing ratios of BrO and a number of marine tracers. However, rapid transport of marine air from the Greenland east coast is rare and most likely not the main source of bromide in surface snow at Summit. The observed levels of BrO are predicted to influence NOx chemistry as well as impact HOx partitioning. However, impact of local snow photochemistry on HOx is smaller than previously suggested for Summit.

The Probability Distribution of Land Surface Wind Speeds

Abstract The probability density function (pdf) of land surface wind speeds is characterized using a global network of observations. Daytime surface wind speeds are shown to be broadly consistent with the Weibull distribution, while nighttime surface wind speeds are generally more positively skewed than the corresponding Weibull distribution (particularly in summer). In the midlatitudes, these strongly positive skewnesses are shown to be generally associated with conditions of strong surface stability and weak lower-tropospheric wind shear. Long-term tower observations from Cabauw, the Netherlands, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, demonstrate that lower-tropospheric wind speeds become more positively skewed than the corresponding Weibull distribution only in the shallow (~50 m) nocturnal boundary layer. This skewness is associated with two populations of nighttime winds: (i) strongly stably stratified with strong wind shear and (ii) weakly stably or unstably stratified with weak wind shear. Using an idealized two-layer model of the boundary layer momentum budget, it is shown that the observed variability of the daytime and nighttime surface wind speeds can be accounted for through a stochastic representation of intermittent turbulent mixing at the nocturnal boundary layer inversion.

Aerosol–cloud–precipitation system as a predator-prey problem

We show that the aerosol-cloud-precipitation system exhibits characteristics of the predator-prey problem in the field of population dynamics. Both a detailed large eddy simulation of the dynamics and microphysics of a precipitating shallow boundary layer cloud system and a simpler model built upon basic physical principles, reproduce predator-prey behavior with rain acting as the predator and cloud as the prey. The aerosol is shown to modulate the predator-prey response. Steady-state solution to the proposed model shows the known existence of bistability in cloudiness. Three regimes are identified in the time-dependent solutions: (i) the weakly precipitating regime where cloud and rain coexist in a quasi steady state; (ii) the moderately drizzling regime where limit-cycle behavior in the cloud and rain fields is produced; and (iii) the heavily precipitating clouds where collapse of the boundary layer is predicted. The manifestation of predator-prey behavior in the aerosol-cloud-precipitation system is a further example of the self-organizing properties of the system and suggests that exploiting principles of population dynamics may help reduce complex aerosol-cloud-rain interactions to a more tractable problem.

Boundary Layer Characteristics over Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Surfaces Simulated by MM5 and DALES

AbstractThe multiple-single-column approach is proposed as a new concept to study the boundary layer parameterization scheme in the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5). The results are compared with the Dutch Atmospheric Large-Eddy Simulation Model (DALES). Numerical experiments were performed over homogeneous and heterogeneous surfaces under clear convective boundary layer conditions. Identical simulations using MM5 and DALES were performed, which enabled an evaluation of the MM5 boundary layer scheme with DALES results. From the experiment with a homogeneous surface, MM5 shows a slightly shallower, colder, and moister boundary layer than DALES. This result is produced by an underestimation of turbulent mixing near the surface and less-vigorous entrainment of heat and dry air in MM5. In the heterogeneous surface experiment, the domain is divided into dry and wet patches, with the result that both models produce a mesoscale circulation. However, relative to the homogeneous case, larger differences were found between the models in the representation of the boundary layer dynamics. In DALES, the surface heterogeneity influenced the turbulent motions, making the mesoscale circulation much stronger (wmax is 6 times as large) than in MM5. Because of this stronger circulation, the boundary layer height, bulk temperature, and humidity also displayed differences in time and spatial patterns. Because of the land–atmosphere coupling in MM5, the mesoscale circulation strengthened the surface flux heterogeneity. Cold and moist air advection close to the surface from the wet patch to the dry patch increased the sensible heat flux above the dry patch and thus the induced mesoscale flow.

Preliminary study of the offshore wind and temperature profiles at the North of the Yucatán Peninsula

The stability conditions in the atmospheric boundary layer, the intensity of the wind speeds and consequently the energy potential available in offshore conditions are highly influenced by the distance from the coastline and the differences between the air and sea temperatures. This paper presents a preliminary research undertook to study the offshore wind and temperature vertical profiles at the North-West of the Yucatán Peninsula coast. Ten minute averages were recorded over approximately 2 years from sensors installed at two different heights on a communication tower located at 6.65 km from the coastline. The results have shown that the offshore wind is thermally driven by differential heating of land and sea producing breeze patterns which veer to blow parallel to the coast under the action of the Coriolis force. To investigate further, a dataset of hourly sea surface temperatures derived from GEOS Satellite thermal maps was combined with the onsite measured data to study its effect on the vertical temperature profile. The results suggested largely unstable conditions and the potentially development of a shallow Stable Internal Boundary Layer which occurs when warm air from the land advects over the cold sea.

Hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles at high relative humidity and their diurnal variations in the North China Plain

Abstract. The hygroscopic properties of submicron aerosol particles were determined at a suburban site (Wuqing) in the North China Plain among a cluster of cities during the period 17 July to 12 August, 2009. A High Humidity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (HH-TDMA) instrument was applied to measure the hygroscopic growth factor (GF) at 90%, 95% and 98.5% relative humidity (RH) for particles with dry diameters between 50 and 250 nm. The probability distribution of GF (GF-PDF) averaged over the period shows a distinct bimodal pattern, namely, a dominant more-hygroscopic (MH) group and a smaller nearly-hydrophobic (NH) group. The MH group particles were highly hygroscopic, and their GF was relatively constant during the period with average values of 1.54 ± 0.02, 1.81 ± 0.04 and 2.45 ± 0.07 at 90%, 95% and 98.5% RH (D0 = 100 nm), respectively. The NH group particles grew very slightly when exposed to high RH, with GF values of 1.08 ± 0.02, 1.13 ± 0.06 and 1.24 ± 0.13 respectively at 90%, 95% and 98.5% RH (D0 = 100 nm). The hygroscopic growth behaviours at different RHs were well represented by a single-parameter Köhler model. Thus, the calculation of GF as a function of RH and dry diameter could be facilitated by an empirical parameterization of κ as function of dry diameter. A strong diurnal pattern in number fraction of different hygroscopic groups was observed. The average number fraction of NH particles during the day was about 8%, while during the nighttime fractions up to 20% were reached. Correspondingly, the state of mixing in terms of water uptake varied significantly during a day. Simulations using a particle-resolved aerosol box model (PartMC-MOSAIC) suggest that the diurnal variations of aerosol hygroscopicity and mixing state were mainly caused by the evolution of the atmospheric mixing layer. The shallow nocturnal boundary layer during the night facilitated the accumulation of freshly emitted carbonaceous particles (mainly hydrophobic) near the surface while in the morning turbulence entrained the more aged and more hygroscopic particles from aloft and diluted the NH particles near the surface resulting in a decrease in the fraction of NH particles.

On calculating the oscillations of a viscous liquid layer over a solid spherical core in terms of the boundary layer theory

The theory of a boundary layer near the periodically oscillating free surface of a spherical viscous liquid layer over a solid core (bottom) is modified. Two boundary layers are considered to adequately describe a liquid viscous flow in the system: one at the free surface of the liquid and the other at the solid bottom. The thicknesses of the boundary layers are estimated, which provide any given discrepancy between an exact solution to the model problem and a solution obtained in the small viscosity approximation. Taking into account the boundary layer near the solid bottom is shown to be significant only for lower oscillation modes. For higher modes, the flow near the core can be considered potential. In the case of lower modes and shallow liquid, the surface and bottom boundary layers overlap and an eddy flow occupies the entire volume of the liquid.

Vertical Velocity Statistics in Fair-Weather Cumuli at the ARM TWP Nauru Climate Research Facility

Abstract Fair-weather cumuli are fundamental in regulating the vertical structure of water vapor and entropy in the lowest 2–3 km of the earth’s atmosphere over vast areas of the oceans. In this study, a long record of profiling cloud radar observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) at Nauru Island is used to investigate cloud vertical air motion statistics over an 8-yr observing period. Appropriate processing of the observed low radar reflectivities provides radar volume samples that contain only small cloud droplets; thus, the Doppler velocities are used as air motion tracers. The technique is applied to shallow boundary layer clouds (less than 1000 m thick) during the 1999–2007 period when radar data are available. Using the boundary layer winds from the soundings obtained at the Nauru ACRF, the fair-weather cumuli fields are classified in easterly and westerly boundary layer wind regimes. This distinction is necessary to separate marine-forced (westerlies) from land-forced (easterlies) shallow clouds because of a well-studied island effect at the Nauru ACRF. The two regimes exhibit large diurnal differences in cloud fraction and cloud dynamics as manifested by the analysis of the hourly averaged vertical air motion statistics. The fair-weather cumuli fields associated with easterlies exhibit a strong diurnal cycle in cloud fraction and updraft strength and fraction, indicating a strong influence of land-forced clouds. In contrast over the fair-weather cumuli with oceanic origin, land-forced clouds are characterized by uniform diurnal cloudiness and persistent updrafts at the cloud-base level. This study provides a unique observational dataset appropriate for testing fair-weather cumulus mass flux and turbulence parameterizations in numerical models.

Observations of the Evolution of the Nocturnal and Convective Boundary Layers and the Structure of Open-Celled Convection on 14 June 2002

Abstract The Boundary Layer Evolution (BLE) missions of the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) were designed to provide comprehensive observations of the distribution of water vapor in the quiescent boundary layer and its evolution during the early morning. The case study discussed in this paper presents detailed observations of the development of the boundary layer from before sunrise through to the period of growth of the mature convective boundary layer (CBL) during the 14 June 2002 BLE mission. The large number of remote sensing platforms, including the multiple instruments collocated at the Homestead Profiling Site, provided a detailed set of measurements of the growth and structure of the CBL. The observations describe the classic evolution of a daytime CBL, beginning with a shallow nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) below the remnants of the previous day’s mixed layer, or residual layer. The vertical distribution of humidity in these layers during the early morning was affected by advection of dry air and by gravity waves. About an hour after sunrise a CBL developed, and gradually deepened with time as it mixed out the NBL and residual layer. The growth of the top of the CBL was particularly well observed because of the strong vertical gradients in temperature, humidity, and aerosol concentration. As the CBL deepened and the average CBL wind speed decreased, the mode of convective organization evolved from horizontal convective rolls to open-celled convection. A unique set of detailed measurements of the structure of the open cells was obtained from multiple instruments including the Doppler-on-Wheels radar, the Mobile Integrated Profiling System wind profiler, and the Scanning Raman lidar. They showed the relationship between open cells, thermals, mantle echoes, and the CBL top.

Climatological Conditions of Lake-Effect Precipitation Events Associated with the New York State Finger Lakes

Abstract A climatological analysis was conducted of the environmental and atmospheric conditions that occurred during 125 identified lake-effect (LE) precipitation events in the New York State Finger Lakes region for the 11 winters (October–March) from 1995/96 through 2005/06. The results complement findings from an earlier study reporting on the frequency and temporal characteristics of Finger Lakes LE events that occurred as 1) isolated precipitation bands over and downwind of a lake (NYSFL events), 2) an enhancement of LE precipitation originating from Lake Ontario (LOenh events), 3) an LE precipitation band embedded within widespread synoptic precipitation (SYNOP events), or 4) a transition from one type to another. In comparison with SYNOP and LOenh events, NYSFL events developed with the 1) coldest temperatures, 2) largest lake–air temperature differences, 3) weakest wind speeds, 4) highest sea level pressure, and 5) lowest height of the stable-layer base. Several significant differences in conditions were found when only one or both of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, the largest Finger Lakes, had LE precipitation as compared with when the smaller Finger Lakes also produced LE precipitation. In addition, transitional events containing an NYSFL time period occurred in association with significantly colder and drier air masses, larger lake–air temperature differences, and a less stable and shallower boundary layer in comparison with those associated with solitary NYSFL events.

Implied Ocean Heat Transports in the Standard and Superparameterized Community Atmospheric Models

Abstract Implied ocean heat transport (To) based on net surface energy budgets is computed for two versions of the Community Atmospheric Model (CAM, version 3.0) general circulation model (GCM). The first version is the standard CAM with parameterized convection. The second is the multiscale modeling framework (MMF), in which parameterized convection is replaced with a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model in each GCM grid column. Although global-mean net surface energy totals are similar for both models, differences in the geographic distributions of the component errors lead to distinctly different To for each model, with CAM’s To generally agreeing with observationally based To estimates, and the MMF’s To producing northward transport at all latitudes north of ∼50°S. Analysis of component error sources in the To calculation identifies needed improvements in the MMF. Net surface shortwave radiation and latent heat fluxes over the oceans are the primary causes of To errors in the MMF. Surface shortwave radiation biases in the MMF are associated with liquid and/or ice water content biases in tropical and extratropical convection and a deficit of marine stratocumulus clouds. It is expected that tropical ice water contents in the MMF can be made more realistic via improvements to the cloud microphysics parameterization. MMF marine stratocumulus clouds are overly sensitive to low-level relative humidity and form only with nearly saturated conditions and a shallow boundary layer. Latent heat flux errors in the MMF are amplifications of those found in the CAM and are concentrated in the trade wind regime and the Asian monsoon region and the adjacent western Pacific Ocean. Potential improvements to To are estimated by replacing either simulated net surface shortwave or latent heat fluxes with those from observations and recomputing To. When observed shortwave fluxes are used, both CAM and MMF produce greatly improved To curves for both hemispheres. When To is computed using observed latent heat fluxes, CAM To degrades slightly and MMF To improves, especially in the sign of Southern Hemisphere transport.