Composite wind and temperature profiles obtained from a complex of in-situ and remote sensing measurement systems for the forcing of a boundary layer model

Summary ?This paper describes the configuration of measurement systems operated continuously at the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg with the aim of constructing combined profiles of wind and temperature – so-called composite profiles – covering the boundary layer with high temporal and vertical resolution. This is required for the forcing of a micro-α-scale model in order to simulate the atmospheric boundary layer structure over a heterogeneous landscape during the LITFASS-98 experiment. The problems of combining measurements of different remote sensing and in-situ systems are briefly discussed. Although the measuring range of individual remote sensing systems is variable, the height coverage of wind and temperature profile measurements by sodar/RASS and two wind profiler radar/RASS complement each other very well. Using a simple merging procedure composite wind and temperature profiles have been synthesized based on radiosonde, windprofiler/RASS, sodar/RASS and tower measurements. Time-height cross sections of hourly composite profiles show considerably more details of the boundary layer structure than simple radiosonde interpolation due to the higher sampling frequency, higher vertical resolution and increased accuracy at the lower levels. Finally some qualifications of the formulated algorithm are suggested for future application. Received June 18, 2001; revised May 30, 2002; accepted June 6, 2002     

边界层风廓线雷达测温系统设计

风廓线雷达在气象领域的应用越来越广泛，在风廓线雷达基础上增加电声测温系统（RASS）实现大气温度实时探测是一种经济有效的办法。文中介绍了已实现的某RASS系统设计，讨论了RASS测温的原理，针对RASS测温的精度、高度、影响因素等进行了性能分析，论述了系统的实现方案，最后给出了该RASS的实际测温结果和测温谱图，验证了该设计满足系统要求，能实现实时测温。     

The Role of Acoustic Sounding in a High-Technology Era

Summary This paper presents a brief synopsis of past, current and anticipated progress and problems in the use of acoustic remote sensing for basic and applied research of the lower atmosphere. The potential and reality of the sodar for determination of meteorological parameters and turbulence characteristics is discussed. Sodars’ place alongside other ground-based remote sensors, including radar wind profilers, radioacoustic sounding systems (RASS) and lidars, is elucidated. Areas of atmospheric research where Doppler sodar has certain advantages are described such as cost, sensitivity, spatial and temporal resolution and surface layer measurements. The use of sodar in networks of integrated radar/RASS systems designed to supply uninterrupted monitoring of atmospheric parameters for improvements in forecasts of weather and air quality is demonstrated. The special potential role of sodar in education and training of specialists is suggested to aid in developing and using new methods of atmospheric measurements and meeting the requirements of modern environmental science. A number of problems are formulated whose solution would favor further advancement of acoustic remote sensing in integrated systems for remote monitoring of the atmospheric boundary layer. Received November 23, 1998 Revised January 29, 1999     

Measuring Vertical Heat Flux with RASS

Summary A wind‐profiling Doppler radar equipped with a radio acoustic sounding system (RASS) may be used to estimate the vertical profile of the vertical flux of heat in the atmosphere. Simultaneous measurements of the time‐varying temperature and vertical air velocity are combined to give the convective heat flux using the eddy‐correlation method. The accuracy of the estimates depends on the fundamental accuracy of the temperature and vertical velocity measurements. Also, in common with all eddy‐correlation methods, uncertainties are introduced by the need to define a suitable averaging time and to remove trends. A problem unique to RASS is the possible presence of ground and intermittent clutter at close ranges, which can cause errors in the vertical air velocity measurements. These considerations are discussed with particular reference to observations using a UHF radar wind profiler situated in an urban environment, where clutter is a serious problem. A Rank‐Order Signal Processing Algorithm (ROSPA) for recognizing and eliminating outliers in the vertical velocity, is introduced. It is explained how ROSPA uses both a minimum filter and a median filter on the velocity data. It is shown, using a comparison with nearly clutter free data from a rural site, that the filtering substantially improves the quality of the noisy urban data. The paper then compares RASS‐measured urban and rural heat flux profiles, along with the heat flux profile measured by an instrumented airplane. It is concluded that the main obstacles to RASS heat flux measurements are the effects of winds and turbulence in the boundary layer, rather than clutter. Received September 24, 1998 Revised January 27, 1999     

First Results of Measurements with a Newly-Designed Phased-Array Sodar with RASS

Summary At a special measuring site for boundary-layer studies as well as land-surface processes the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg of the German Weather Service (DWD) has recently put into operation a newly-desi gned phased-array SODAR/RASS, which has been developed by METEK on behalf of the DWD. This system provides the vertical profiles of the three-di mensional wind vector in the boundary layer on an operational basis and is furthermore suitable for getting information on the profile of virtual temperature up to about 400 m in height based on the addition of RASS components. The following paper describes both the technique of this SODAR/RASS and the various modes of operation as well as the different options in managing the system. First evaluations on the data availability concerning the maximum height coverage will give an impression on the system’s capabilities. Finally, the accuracy of the derived profiles of winds and temperature will be investigated by means of comparisons of the SODAR/RASS data with measurements of a six-sonde tethered-balloon system as well as meteorological data of a 99 m tower in the vicinity of the system. Received November 27, 1998 Revised April 9, 1999     

大气廓线综合探测系统及其应用技术

介绍了大气廓线综合探测系统——风廓线仪与RASS雷达的工作原理，并以具体实例来说明这种探测技术在国外高空探测领域中的广泛应用。它可以被用来推算湿度廓线，探测锋的热动力结构与垂直风结构，诊断热带地区行星边界层和降雨云系统。通过对中日科技人员2002年夏季在安徽省肥西县进行的中尺度天气观测试验资料分析，阐述了用风廓线仪和RASS雷达资料反演0．2～2．2km高度范围内湿度廓线的方法。     

Results on planetary boundary layer sounding by automatic rass

A radio acoustic sounding system (RASS), operating at an acoustic frequency ƒ 360 Hz, proved to be capable of measuring the vertical temperature profile in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) with an accuracy and vertical resolution comparable to those of traditional apparatus (radiothermosondes borne by tethered or disposable balloons, thermosondes borne by aircraft and so on, yet combined with the advantages typical of remote sensing techniques.Since summer 1983 the system has been running in a completely automatic way by means of a microprocessor and can provide the average thermal profile at preset time intervals (typically 0.5 h). (Previously, the acoustic sounding frequency affording the fundamental condition of Bragg resonance between acoustic and radio wavelengths had to be identified by an operator).The maximum range of measurement has been 1000 m in 50% of cases. Temperature measurements are reliable from an altitude of a few tens of meters.Results for different thermodynamic stability conditions, together with good performances achieved in adverse atmospheric conditions such as strong wind, snow, rain, etc., are presented here.Such results indicate the usefulness of the automatic RASS as a tool for meteorological purposes and for the application of air pollution control strategies.Maximum sounding range attained for different areas of the acoustic antenna is also analysed in order to evaluate the performance of an automatic mobile RASS.     

Comparison of Boundary-Layer Profiles and Layer Detection by AMDAR and WTR/RASS at Frankfurt Airport

At Frankfurt airport (EDDF) vertical soundings of the lower atmosphere from two independent sources are available. One of them is a wind and temperature profiler (wind temperature radar and radio acoustic sounding system, WTR/RASS) located at the western end of the main pair of runways. The second source is aircraft meteorological data relay (AMDAR), i.e. measurements operationally collected by approaching and departing aircraft. Together, both offer a rare opportunity to compare the performance of these widely used systems. We use 1 year of continuous data to calculate systematic temperature and wind vector differences between both measurement systems. The differences show a clear season-dependent structure in conjunction with typical inversion heights. Possible causes for this behaviour are discussed. Second, we compare the ability of both systems to identify inversion and wind-shear layers above the airport. AMDAR-detected layers are typically higher than wind profiler detections. The layer base is usually detected with more agreement than the top. The mutual probability of detection of inversions is found to be mostly between 40 and 60%.     

Development and Initial Results of a Mobile RASS

Summary A mobile RASS (Radio Acoustic Sounding System), which can be loaded onto a truck along with all the other equipment, including the power supply, was developed for atmospheric temperature measurement. Also, since it is necessary to avoid noise pollution in surrounding areas when conducting observations with the mobile RASS, a new method that allows measurement of the temperature profile up to about 200 m using a single acoustic pulse was devised. We discuss the development of a truck-mounted mobile RASS and the results of the first mobile observation conducted at various locations in the Tokyo area. Received November 3, 1998 Revised June 16, 1999     

风廓线雷达反演大气比湿廓线的初步试验

基于湍流散射理论,运用边界层风廓线雷达 (WPR) 联合RASS (Radio Acoustic Sounding System), GPS/PWV (Global Position System/Precipitable Water Vapor) 进行全遥感系统的大气比湿廓线反演试验,并对影响因子进行分析。利用2011年8—9月云南大理综合探测试验数据的反演结果与探空数据进行比较分析,结果表明:WPR联合探空的温度廓线和起始边界比湿 (q₀) 反演大气比湿廓线,与探空大气比湿廓线相比具有相同的变化趋势,标准差为0.84 g·kg-1,误差随高度增加呈递增趋势;WPR联合RASS, GPS/PWV数据反演大气比湿廓线,与探空大气比湿廓线的标准差为0.85 g·kg-1。参加反演的数据中,折射指数结构常数C_n2与谱宽σ_turb2对反演影响最大,反演算法中大气折射指数梯度M符号的判断对反演精度也有较大影响。     

Verification of RASS-measured temperature profiles using a radio-controlled model glider

Potential sonic temperature profiles from a continuous electromagnetic, pulsed acoustic, radio acoustic sounding system (RASS) were compared with profiles recorded by a commercially available temperature, relative humidity and pressure recorder mounted in a radio-controlled model motor-glider. The glider profiles covered the period of the morning transition in the lowest 200 m of an initially stably stratified boundary layer. Comparison of the profiles shows that the sonic temperature can be calculated based on the average speed of sound in the boundary layer; this removes the need to correct for vertical velocity in each temperature profile, thus avoiding the possibility of contaminating the temperatures with measurement noise from the vertical velocity profiles. Further, the low-level cold bias that occurs with the spatially separated transmit and receive antennas of a bistatic RASS system was not significant for the present measurements as the separation between the antennas was minimised. The comparison of RASS and glider temperatures gives confidence in the use of RASS-derived temperatures for investigating the performance of boundary layer models.     

Evaluation of the Interpretation of Ceilometer Data with RASS and Radiosonde Data

Since 2006 different remote monitoring methods for determining mixing-layer height have been operated in parallel in Augsburg (Germany). One method is based on the operation of eye-safe commercial mini-lidar systems (ceilometers). The optical backscatter intensities recorded with ceilometers provide information about the range-dependent aerosol concentration; gradient minima within this profile mark the tops of mixed layers. Special software for these ceilometers provides routine retrievals of lower atmospheric layering. A second method, based on sodar observations, detects the height of a turbulent layer characterized by high acoustic backscatter intensities due to thermal fluctuations and a high variance of the vertical velocity component. This information is extended by measurements with a radio-acoustic sounding system (RASS) that directly provides the vertical temperature profile from the detection of acoustic signal propagation and thus temperature inversions that mark atmospheric layers. Ceilometer backscatter information is evaluated by comparison with parallel measurements. Data are presented from 2 years of combined ceilometer and RASS measurements at the same site and from comparison with a nearby (60 km) radiosonde for larger-scale humidity information. This evaluation is designed to ensure mixing-layer height monitoring from ceilometer data more reliable.     

单多普勒天气雷达的中尺度风场探测技术研究

利用1998年6月海峡两岸暴雨试验中收集的香港天文台的多普勒雷达资料、GMS—5红外卫星云图等资料对1998年6月9日00～11UTC的暴雨过程进行综合对比分析。分析结果表明：UW方法反演的低空风场中的中尺度流场系统的位置、移动和生消变化与雷达回波的分布及时间演变完全配合，并且与红外卫星云图有良好的对应，因此可以认为，利用UW方法能够从多普勒速度场反演出风场中的中—β以上尺度的切变线系统，为强对流天气的临近预报提供高效、实用的预警产品。     

多普勒雷达与L波段雷达垂直风廓线对比分析北大核心

利用2012-2017年阜阳多普勒雷达与L波段雷达测风数据进行对比分析,统计两者的相关性和测量误差,进一步了解多普勒雷达风廓线产品的准确性和可信度。结果表明:两者测风结果一致性较好,风向和风速相关系数分别为0.97和0.94,标准差分别为19.5°和2.65 m·s^(-1)。多普勒雷达风速总体上在同一高度比L波段雷达风速偏小,两者风速相对偏差平均为24.48%;风速标准差随高度增高呈增大趋势,在降水期间对比差值小于非降水;风向标准差在7 km以下呈递减趋势,8 km以上有小幅增加趋势;风速相关系数随高度增加呈增大趋势,除低空偏低以外,其他高度相关系数均较高。     

Observations of boundary-layer convection cells measured by dual-Doppler radar and echosonde,and by microbarograph array

Three-dimensional air motion, observed with radar in a convective planetary boundary layer under light wind conditions, is organized in cellular structures scaled from 2 to 5 km; simultaneous acoustic echosonde measurements indicate that near the ground there are smaller cells than those observable by the radar. At heights of 400 m, cell scales become as large as those observable by the radar. Pressure fluctuations at the ground measured with spatial pressure transducers, at the same time as the radar and echosonde observations, traveled at the same speed and direction as the radar volume-averaged wind. The length scale determined at the ground with pressure fluctuation data was between 1.2 and 2.4 km, smaller than the largest radar-measured motion scales.     

Fine-Scale Structure Observed In A Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer By Sodar And Kite-Borne Tethersonde

Co-located high resolution profiles of acoustic backscatter,wind vector and potential temperature are presented, measured within the stable atmosphericboundary layer over an Antarctic ice shelf. Acoustic profiles from a monostaticacoustic radar (Sodar) indicate complex structure within the boundary layer, whilstwind and temperature profiles from a tethersonde show corresponding bands of differingstability. Internal waves and fossil convection are shown to invalidate attemptsto compare backscatter measurements with theoretical estimates based on local wind and temperature gradients, but during ideal conditions, a qualitative agreementis observed.     

基于WebGL的风廓线雷达风场三维可视化技术与实现

风廓线雷达二维显示系统无法显示三维风场,针对此问题,本文研究了基于WebGL的风廓线雷达风场的三维可视化方法。文中介绍了基于WebGL的三维图形渲染技术的原理和优势,详细阐述了风廓线雷达风场的三维建模和渲染方法,在此方法的基础上,开发了B/S模式的风廓线雷达风场三维可视化系统,并介绍了系统的功能特点和优势。相对于风廓线雷达二维显示系统,三维可视化系统以更直观、逼真的形式展现了风场的空间分布,用户能够以任意视角观察三维风场,便于气象工作者分析风场辐合(辐散)、边界层辐合线,为强对流天气监测预报工作提供一种有效的技术手段。     

L波段探空雷达测风质量控制方法研究

以美国NCEP的FNL再分析场和我国GRAPES初估场为参考对北京探空雷达测风从平均偏差、标准偏差、概率密度分布、峰度系数、偏度系数、相关系数和均方根差等多参数进行评估。基于评估结果对雷达测风资料进行质量控制,并再次求解参数进一步评估质量控制效果。结果表明：L波段探空雷达测风质量较高,平均偏差基本在±1 m/s内,其与参考标准一致性随气压减小而减小;风的东西分量和南北分量的一致性基本保持一致;四个季节中夏季数据一致性最高;基于FNL的评估结果优于GRAPES,即基于FNL的所有参数相对于GRAPES的参数更接近最优值。基于评估结果质控后的测风一致性得到提升,保留了原有特征。该质量控制方法能够有效地消除季节性差异,且质控后两个背景场的评估结果差距缩小。     

合肥一次低空风切变的观测与分析

本文基于合肥地面观测、机场自动观测系统(AWOS)、多普勒雷达、探空及FNL 0.25°×0.25°等资料,分析了2015年8月6日合肥一次较强风切变天气过程,并对其形成机理进行研究。结果表明:低空风切变发生前,肥西地区不稳定能量及上升气流较为活跃,有利于对流云团的发展。地面自动气象站的观测资料表明,低空风切变发生时,近地层的风向、风速和温度等气象要素均有突变;风暴的质心高度、最强回波高度和风暴顶高迅速下降,空中气流快速下沉,至近地面向四周辐散,因此该风暴属于下击暴流性质;径向速度图中明显的正负速度对也印证了低空剧烈的风向和风速切变。     

The <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">int</Emphasis>OA Experiment: A Study of Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions Under Moderate to Strong Offshore Winds and Opposing Swell Conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec,Mexico

The Gulf of Tehuantepec air–sea interaction experiment (intOA) took place from February to April 2005, under the Programme for the Study of the Gulf of Tehuantepec (PEGoT, Spanish acronym for Programa para el Estudio del Golfo de Tehuantepec). PEGoT is underway aiming for better knowledge of the effect of strong and persistent offshore winds on coastal waters and their natural resources, as well as performing advanced numerical modelling of the wave and surface current fields. One of the goals of the intOA experiment is to improve our knowledge on air–sea interaction processes with particular emphasis on the effect of surface waves on the momentum flux for the characteristic and unique conditions that occur when strong Tehuano winds blow offshore against the Pacific Ocean long period swell. For the field campaign, an air–sea interaction spar (ASIS) buoy was deployed in the Gulf of Tehuantepec to measure surface waves and the momentum flux between the ocean and the atmosphere. High frequency radar systems (phase array type) were in operation from two coastal sites and three acoustic Doppler current profilers were deployed near-shore. Synthetic aperture radar images were also acquired as part of the remote sensing component of the experiment. The present paper provides the main results on the wave and wind fields, addressing the direct calculation of the momentum flux and the drag coefficient, and gives an overview of the intOA experiment. Although the effect of swell has been described in recent studies, this is the first time for the very specific conditions encountered, such as swell persistently opposing offshore winds and locally generated waves, to show a clear evidence of the influence on the wind stress of the significant steepness of swell waves.