Comparison of boundary-layer detection between instruments at the Southern Great Plains site

 

Authors

Virginia Ruth Sawyer — University of Maryland
Zhanqing Li — University of Maryland

Category

Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions

Description

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) and its associated entrainment zone govern the mixing of pollutants into the upper troposphere, with consequences for air quality and climate simulation. The difficulty in directly observing the thermodynamic vertical structure of the atmosphere makes ground-based remote sensing particularly important. Because of the effect the PBL has on aerosol distribution, it is possible to use aerosol lidar backscatter as a proxy for the PBL. This PBL detection algorithm combines the wavelet covariance transform approach developed in Davis et al. (2000) and Brooks (2003) with an iterative curve-fitting process from Steyn et al. (1999). The former method provides a reasonable first guess for the latter, making the curve-fitting algorithm less dependent on prior knowledge while retaining its greater robustness against extraneous backscatter peaks. The lidar-derived PBL heights from multi-year retrievals at the SGP site are compared to PBLs derived from radiosonde and the atmospheric emitted radiance interferometer (AERI), both of which measure thermodynamic properties rather than aerosol.