The marine atmospheric boundary layer under strong wind conditions: Organized turbulence structure and flux estimates by airborne measurements

Abstract A new technique for retrieving near-surface moisture and profiles of mixing ratio and potential temperature through the depth of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) using airborne lidar and multichannel infrared radiometer data is presented. Data gathered during an extended field campaign over the Atlantic Ocean in support of the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment are used to generate 16 moisture and temperature retrievals that are then compared with dropsonde measurements. The technique utilizes lidar-derived statistics on the height of cumulus clouds that frequently cap the MABL to estimate the lifting condensation level. Combining this information with radiometer-derived sea surface temperature measurements, an estimate of the near-surface moisture can be obtained to an accuracy of about 0.8 g kg−1. Lidar-derived statistics on convective plume height and coverage within the MABL are then used to infer the profiles of potential temperature and moisture with a vertical resolution of 20 m. The rms accuracy of derived MABL average moisture and potential temperature is better than 1 g kg−1 and 1°C, respectively. The method relies on the presence of a cumulus-capped MABL, and it was found that the conditions necessary for use of the technique occurred roughly 75% of the time. The synergy of simple aerosol backscatter lidar and infrared radiometer data also shows promise for the retrieval of MABL moisture and temperature from space.

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Structure of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Derived from Airborne Measurements of the Energy Dissipation Rate

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan Ser II ◽

10.2151/jmsj1965.54.4_241 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 241-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Minoru Gamo ◽

Osayuki Yokoyama ◽

Susumu Yamamoto ◽

Yasushi Mitsuta

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Energy Dissipation ◽

Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽

Dissipation Rate ◽

Energy Dissipation Rate ◽

Airborne Measurements

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High-Resolution Properties of the Equatorial Pacific Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer from Lidar and Radiosonde Observations

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences ◽

10.1175/1520-0469(1996)053<2054:hrpote>2.0.co;2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 53 (14) ◽

pp. 2054-2075 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

D. I. Cooper ◽

W. E. Eichinger ◽

S. Barr ◽

W. Cottingame ◽

M. V. Hynes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

High Resolution ◽

Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽

Equatorial Pacific ◽

Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

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Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer Processes

Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering - Satellite SAR Detection of Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamic Processes ◽

10.1142/9789814749015_0011 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 241-275

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽

Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽

Boundary Layer Processes

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How is the marine atmospheric boundary layer turbulence organized in the trades ?

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12339 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pierre-Etienne Brilouet ◽

Marie Lothon ◽

Sandrine Bony

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽

Vertical Velocity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Layer Structure ◽

Potential Temperature ◽

Surface Wind ◽

Cloud Amount ◽

Velocity Spectrum ◽

Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Tradewind clouds can exhibit a wide diversity of mesoscale organizations, and the turbulence of marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) can exhibit coherent structures and mesoscale circulations. One of the objectives of the EUREC4A (Elucidating the role of cloud-circulation coupling in climate) field experiment was to better understand the tight interplay between the mesoscale organization of clouds, boundary-layer processes, and the large-scale environment.During the experiment, that took place East of Barbados over the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean in Jan-Feb 2020, the French ATR-42 research aircraft was devoted to the characterization of the cloud amount and of the subcoud layer structure. During its 17 research flights, it sampled a large diversity of large scale conditions and cloud patterns. Multiple sensors onboard the aircraft measured high-frequency fluctuations of potential temperature, water vapour mixing ratio and wind , allowing for an extensive characterization of the turbulence within the subcloud layer. A quality-controled and calibrated turbulence dataset was produced on the basis of these measurements, which is now available on the EUREC4A AERIS data portal.The MABL turbulent structure is studied using this dataset, through a spectral analysis of the vertical velocity. Vertical profiles of characteristic length scales reveal a non-isotropic structure with a stretching of the eddies along the mean wind. The organization strength of the turbulent field is also explored by defining a diagnostic based on the shape of the vertical velocity spectrum. The structure and the degree of organization of the subcloud layer are characterized for different types of mesoscale convective pattern and as a function of the large-scale environment, including near-surface wind and lower-tropospheric stability conditions.&#160;

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