Grabon, Jeffrey S. and Davis, Kenneth J. and Kiemle, Christoph and Ehret, Gerhard (2010) Airborne Lidar Observations of the Transition Zone Between the Convective Boundary Layer and Free Atmosphere During the International H2O Project (IHOP) in 2002. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 134, pp. 61-83. Springer. doi: 10.1007/s10546-009-9431-1. ISSN 0006-8314.
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Abstract
Airborne, light detection and ranging (lidar) backscatter observations of the convective boundary layer from the International H2O Project (IHOP) in 2002 are analysed to study the structure of the transition zone; the backscatter gradient between the convective boundary layer and free atmosphere. A newmathematical algorithm is developed and used to extract high-resolution (15 m) transition-zone boundaries from 6,500 km (flight legs) of airborne observations.The cospectra of transition-zone boundaries and its thickness indicate that thickness changes occur from boundaries moving in opposite directions (vertically) at small wavelengths (<1 km), while at longer wavelengths (>1 km) both boundaries move coherently, with the lower boundary changing altitude more rapidly. Daily probability distributions of the transition-zone thickness are positively skewed with a mode of 60 m. The structure of the transition zone shows no dependence on the “overall” Richardson number, unlike the entrainment zone. This study provides the first quantitative characterization of the structure of the instantaneous transition zone, a contribution towards an improved understanding of convective boundary-layer entrainment.
Item URL in elib: | https://elib.dlr.de/96960/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Document Type: | Article | ||||||||||||||||||||
Title: | Airborne Lidar Observations of the Transition Zone Between the Convective Boundary Layer and Free Atmosphere During the International H2O Project (IHOP) in 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Authors: |
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Date: | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Boundary-Layer Meteorology | ||||||||||||||||||||
Refereed publication: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Open Access: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gold Open Access: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
In SCOPUS: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Volume: | 134 | ||||||||||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1007/s10546-009-9431-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 61-83 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | Springer | ||||||||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 0006-8314 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||||
Keywords: | Convective boundary layer · Entrainment zone · International H2O project · Lidar · Transition zone | ||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | ||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program: | Space | ||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program Themes: | Earth Observation | ||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research area: | Raumfahrt | ||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Program: | R EO - Earth Observation | ||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research theme (Project): | R - LIDAR research and development | ||||||||||||||||||||
Location: | Oberpfaffenhofen | ||||||||||||||||||||
Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Atmospheric Physics > Lidar | ||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Kiemle, Dr.rer.nat. Christoph | ||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 01 Jul 2015 09:07 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 06 Sep 2019 15:19 |
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