Characterizing the Structure of the Boundary Layer with AERI and Doppler Lidar

 
Poster PDF

Authors

David D. Turner — NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
William Gregory Blumberg — Millersville University
Nathan Anderson — University of Oklahoma
Andrew Michael Dzambo — CIWRO / University of Oklahoma - Norman

Category

General Topics

Description

The thermodynamic and kinematic structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) is highly variable due to interactions with the ground including friction of the atmosphere with the surface, sensible and latent heat transport, and hence the resulting turbulent processes. The accurate characterization of the BL is important for a wide range of studies. We have used a variety of instruments at the ARM SGP site to characterize interesting features of the BL, including (a) the rapid temporal changes in the thermodynamic structure of the BL as observed using a new AERI-based retrieval algorithm that is able to provide temperature and humidity profiles in both clear and cloudy conditions; (b) the frequency and nature of the impact of inhomogeneities in the surface on vertical velocity variance and skewness profiles measured 300 m apart at the SGP; and (c) the application of a new algorithm designed to correct the dry bias in radiosonde humidity measurements, and the evaluation of these corrected profiles to other observations. This presentation will also illustrate how these observations, and in particular from the new AERI retrieval algorithm, can be used to provide critical input for modeling studies of the boundary layer such as during MC3E and other future experiments.

Lead PI

David D. Turner — NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory