The Third GABLS Intercomparison Case for Evaluation Studies of Boundary-Layer Models. Part B: Results and Process Understanding

We describe and analyze the results of the third global energy and water cycle experiment atmospheric boundary layer Study intercomparison and evaluation study for single-column models. Each of the nineteen participating models was operated with its own physics package, including land-surface, radiation and turbulent mixing schemes, for a full diurnal cycle selected from the Cabauw observatory archive. By carefully prescribing the temporal evolution of the forcings on the vertical column, the models could be evaluated against observations. We focus on the gross features of the stable boundary layer (SBL), such as the onset of evening momentum decoupling, the 2-m minimum temperature, the evolution of the inertial oscillation and the morning transition. New process diagrams are introduced to interpret the variety of model results and the relative importance of processes in the SBL; the diagrams include the results of a number of sensitivity runs performed with one of the models. The models are characterized in terms of thermal coupling to the soil, longwave radiation and turbulent mixing. It is shown that differences in longwave radiation schemes among the models have only a small effect on the simulations; however, there are significant variations in downward radiation due to different boundary-layer profiles of temperature and humidity. The differences in modelled thermal coupling to the land surface are large and explain most of the variations in 2-m air temperature and longwave incoming radiation among models. Models with strong turbulent mixing overestimate the boundary-layer height, underestimate the wind speed at 200 m, and give a relatively large downward sensible heat flux. The result is that 2-m air temperature is relatively insensitive to turbulent mixing intensity. Evening transition times spread 1.5 h around the observed time of transition, with later transitions for models with coarse resolution. Time of onset in the morning transition spreads 2 h around the observed transition time. With this case, the morning transition appeared to be difficult to study, no relation could be found between the studied processes, and the variation in the time of the morning transition among the models.     

Turbulence, Radiation and fog in Dutch Stable Boundary Layers

The effect of longwave radiation on the structure the clear stable boundary layer (SBL) is examined. Special emphasis is given to radiative cooling near the surface and the top of the boundary layer and its impact on the heat flux profile. Further, the formation, growth and dissipation of fog in the SBL are studied both from observations and from a one-dimensional ensemble averaged turbulence closure model. The model is compared with detailed observations that were made for both a shallow (about 30 m) radiation fog and a deep (about 200 m) fog layer at the 200-m tower at Cabauw in the Netherlands. The model describes adequately the most important mechanisms occurring during the fog evolution. In this study special attention is given to the parameterization of the vegetation, which is important for a good representation of the (minimum) air temperature. The influence of turbulence transport, longwave radiative cooling and gravitational droplet settling on the fog evolution is described. The study demonstrates the need for more accurate measurements of turbulence quantities, especially the master length scale, in a variety of SBLs.     

Radiative and Evaporative Cooling in the Entrainment Zone of Stratocumulus – the Role of Longwave Radiative Cooling Above Cloud Top

A mixing fraction determines the relative amount of above-cloud-top air that has been mixed into a cloudy air parcel. A method, based on the use of mixing fractions, to calculate the cooling effects due to mixing, longwave radiation and phase changes at cloud top is derived and discussed. We compute cooling effects for the whole range of mixing fraction for two observed cases of the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer. In both cases the total radiative cooling effect is found to be the most dominant contributor to the negative buoyancy excess found at cloud top. The largest radiative cooling rates are found for clear-air parcels immediately adjacent to cloud top rather than inside the cloud. With the help of a simple longwave radiation model, we show this to be caused by clear-air radiative cooling due to the temperature inversion at cloud top. Further we show that flux profiles in the entrainment zone can be computed from data obtained from a horizontal level run that is half the time in cloud and half the time out of cloud.     

城市气溶胶对边界层热量收支的影响

本文利用长、短波辐射模式和地面能量平衡模式，计算了烟雾层状况下的边界层和地面热量收支情况，计算表明，烟地务层的全天辐射效应使低层大气上部辐射能量收入为正，中下部辐射能量收入为负，总的结果是使低层大气稍稍冷却并使稳定增加，计算还表明，烟雾层造成的地面接收短波辐射能量的减少量可由大气逆辐射的增加量来补偿，烟雾层使得地面温度振幅变小。     

Radiative Processes in the Stable Boundary Layer: Part II. The Development of the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

The interaction between radiation and turbulence in the stable boundary layer over land is explored using an idealized model, with a focus on the surface layer after the evening transition. It is shown that finer vertical resolution is required in transitional boundary layers than in developed ones. In very light winds radiative cooling determines the temperature profile, even if similarity functions without a critical Richardson number are used; standard surface similarity theory applied over thick layers then yields poor forecasts of near-surface air temperatures. These points are illustrated with field data. Simulations of the developing nocturnal boundary layer are used to explore the wider role of radiation. Comparatively, radiation is less significant within the developed stable boundary layer than during the transition; although, as previous studies have found, it remains important towards the top of the stable layer and in the residual layer. Near the ground, reducing the surface emissivity below one is found to yield modest relative radiative warming rather than intense cooling, which reduces the potential importance of radiation in the developed surface layer. The profile of the radiative heating rate may be strongly dependent on other processes, leading to quite varied behaviour.     

A simple parameterization of longwave radiative cooling with application to the atmospheric boundary layer for clear sky conditions

A simple parameterization is proposed to obtain longwave radiative cooling rates, which can be used for atmospheric boundary-layer simulations on clear days in mid-latitudes. The net flux difference which is set to zero at the surface, can be parameterized with the use of three variables: the surface temperature, the lowest level (1.5 m) air temperature, and the total amount of water vapor. If these three elements, along with the water vapor profile are known, it is possible to estimate the cooling rate due to longwave radiation. The results of this parameterization are in good agreement with those of a precise scheme (Roach and Slingo, 1979), within a range of ± 1°C/day of diurnal change for boundary-layer simulations.     

Characteristics of intermittent turbulence in the upper stable boundary layer over Greenland

The experiment IGLOS (Investigation of the Greenland Boundary Layer Over Summit) was conducted in June and July 2002 in the central plateau of the Greenland inland ice. The German research aircraft Polar2, equipped with the turbulence measurement system Meteopod, was used to investigate turbulence and radiation flux profiles near research station “Summit Camp”. Aircraft measurements are combined with measurements of radiation fluxes and turbulent quantities made from a 50 m tower at Summit Camp operated by Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich. During all six flight missions, well-developed stable boundary layers were found. Even in high-wind conditions, the surface inversion thickness did not exceed roughly 100 m. The turbulent height of the stable boundary layer (SBL) was found to be much smaller than the surface inversion thickness. Above the surface layer, significant turbulent fluxes occurred only intermittently in intervals on the order of a few kilometres. Turbulent event fraction in the upper SBL shows the same dependence on gradient Richardson number as reported for near-surface measurements. Clear-air longwave radiation divergence was always found to contribute significantly to the SBL heat budget. In low-wind cases, radiative cooling even turned out to be dominant.     

The Role of Shear in the Morning Transition Boundary Layer

We use large-eddy simulation (LES) to better define the early stages of the morning transition boundary layer. Previous LES studies relating to the morning transition boundary layer focus on the role of the entraining convective boundary layer (CBL). By using a combination of different domain sizes and grid lengths, the full evolution from the stable boundary layer (SBL) to the CBL is modelled here. In the early stages of the morning transition the boundary layer is shown to be a combination of a shallow mixed layer capped by a significant shear driven stable boundary layer (the so-called mixed CBL–SBL state). The mixed CBL–SBL state is the key to understanding the sensitivity to shear. Turbulent kinetic energy budgets also indicate that it is shear driven. The negative flux from the mixed CBL–SBL state extends much further above the minimum than is typically found for the CBL later in the day, and the depth of penetration scales as w _m /N _i , where w _m is the combined friction and convective velocity scale and N _i the static stability at the inversion top.     

Greenhouse effect and altitude gradients over the Alps – by surface longwave radiation measurements and model calculated LOR

Summary The greenhouse effect has been investigated predominantly with satellite measurements, but more than 90% of the greenhouse radiative flux affecting Earths surface temperature and humidity originates from a 1000 meter layer above the surface. Here we show that substantial improvements on surface longwave radiation measurements and very good agreement with radiative transfer model calculations allow the clear-sky greenhouse effect be determined with measured surface longwave radiation and calculated longwave outgoing radiation at the top of the atmosphere. The cloud radiative forcing is determined by measured net longwave fluxes and added to the clear-sky greenhouse effect to determine the all-sky greenhouse effect. Longwave radiation measurements at different altitudes were used to determine the clear-sky and all-sky annual and seasonal greenhouse effect and altitude gradients over the Alps. Linear altitude gradients are measured for clear-sky situations, whereas the all-sky greenhouse effect is strongly influenced by varying, cloud amounts at different altitudes. Large diurnal and seasonal variations show the importance of surface heating and cooling effects and demonstrate the strong coupling of the greenhouse effect to surface temperature and humidity.     

我国西北大气沙尘气溶胶的辐射效应

利用HEIFE地面辐射平衡观测资料和同期NOAA-11/AVHRR卫星遥感资料定量估算春季我国西北大气沙尘的辐射效应。大气沙尘减小地面净辐射冷却地面,对地-气系统和大气的辐射效应均与地表反照率有关,严重浑浊的沙尘大气在沙漠为短波加热和长波冷却,在绿洲则相反,但净效应都是加热。文中给出了4月大气浑浊度系数约由0.1增大到0.6,在沙漠和绿洲上空沙尘层（850～600 hPa）内大气的附加短波、长波和净加热/冷却率。     

Thermodynamic budget of the five day wave over the Saharan desert during summer

Summary A spectral analysis of the domain averaged height field at 1000 hPa surface over the Sahara using ECMWF data reveals a major oscillation of about five days. A composite analysis technique has then been developed which permits to emphasize the major characteristics of the evolution of the thermal low over the Sahara during a five day period in the summer season. This analysis shows that the composite structure of the termal field reveals a well mixed layer with an almost constant potential temperature and specific humidity from the surface up to about 650 hPa.The computation of the vertical velocity and the horizontal divergence reveals a presence of a two cell vertical circulation over the thermal low region. Although the heat low over the Saharan desert appears as a shallow low pressure area confined into the mixed layer, the entire troposphere seems to be dynamically active.In the surface layer, the response of the height field to the temperature field has a lag time of about one day.Adjustment of the theoretical net radiative heating rate have been applied assuming dust to have an effect on both shortwave and longwave irradiances. The results compare reasonably well with measurements obtained from the literature, and provide an improvement for the surface heat fluxes as compared to those deduced from conventional radiative transfer model.The thermodynamic budget over the desert region reveals that the contribution of the advective terms is to stabilize the mixed layer by removing the excess of heat from the surface layer. Furthermore, the destabilization of the mixed layer seems to result from a thermal unbalance between the net radiative heating and the convergence of the eddy sensible heat flux during the formative stage of the thermal low.Downward motion developing above the mixed layer during the occurrence of the heat low seems to be responsible for the cooling of the surface layer and a decrease of the surface temperature, which marks the decaying phase of the thermal wave.A qualitative inference of the top of the dust layer from the large scale variables has been attempted, and a simple scheme for the parameterization of the net solar radiation as a function of the large scale apparent heating is proposed. The results appear to be a reasonable approach for the definition of the net radiative heating.The moisture budget reveals that water vapor is supplied to the domain via horizontal advection from the region of the West African monsoon. Furthermore, its vertical distribution appears to be controlled by the complex vertical eddy motions in the dry thermals which develop over the warm Saharan desert during the afternoon hours.With 27 Figures     

Radiative Processes in the Stable Boundary Layer: Part I. Radiative Aspects

The structure of the radiatively dominated stable boundary layer is analysed using idealized calculations at high vertical and spectral resolution. The temperature profile of a nocturnal radiative boundary layer, developing after the evening transition, is found to be well described in terms of radiative cooling to the surface, although radiative exchanges within the atmosphere become increasingly important with time. The treatment of non-black surfaces is discussed in some detail and it is shown that the effect of reducing the surface emissivity is to decrease rather than to increase the radiative cooling rate in the surface layer. It is also argued that an accurate assessment of the impact of non-black surfaces requires careful attention to the spectral and directional characteristics of the surface emissivity. A polar nocturnal boundary layer, developing above snow-covered ground, is simulated and found to reach a slowly evolving state characterized by a strong radiative divergence near the surface that is comparable to observed values. Radiative boundary layers are characterized by large temperature gradients near the surface. An erratum to this article can be found at     

污染大气边界层的长波冷却率模式

考虑大气气溶胶在长波窗区的散射和吸收作用以及水汽的连续吸收作用，建立了一个适用于污染大气边界层的长波冷却率模式。计算结果表明：当单位面积气柱中气溶胶含量为７８５．９ｍｇ／ｍ２时，气溶胶的作用可使到达地面的长波向下辐射增大３９Ｗ／ｍ２。在大气窗区，大气气溶胶和水汽的连续吸收对长波冷却率的影响是同等重要的。在水汽含量和气溶胶浓度较大的大气边界层内，水汽连续吸收的冷却率最大时可达１．３Ｋ／ｄ，气溶胶的冷却率最大时可达到１．６６Ｋ／ｄ，二者对长波冷却率的贡献均不容忽视     

Measurements of diurnal heat exchange on the Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peruvian Andes

Summary Measurements of the surface heat budget were conducted on an ice cap in the Andes of Southern Peru at 5645 m during an expedition in July 1977. Because of the high surface albedo, net software radiative gain is nearly offset by the longwave loss in the average over the diurnal cycle. The diurnal temperature wave has at the surface an amplitude of about 5°C, and by 50 cm depth this is nearly dampened out. During the day, the shortwave radiative gain is in part used to balance the longwave loss, some heat is stored in the top snow layer and lost by sensible heat transfer to the overlying atmosphere, and the greater part fuels the sublimation. At night, the longwave radiative loss is not completely compensated by heat depletion and downward directed sensible heat transfer. This deficit is made up by the downward transfer of latent heat, resulting in heat release at the surface and deposition. Regarding the mass balance, the nighttime deposition approximately cancels the daytime sublimation. At lower elevations of the ice cap, albedo is much less, allowing larger absorption of solar radiation. As a consequence, more energy is available for ablation. Melting occurs during the day, so that re-freezing and concurrent latent heat release can help to compensate the longwave radiative loss at night.With 4 Figures     

层状云微物理参数反演及其辐射效应的个例研究

利用毫米波云雷达、微波辐射计联合反演方法,对2015年11月11日安徽寿县的一次层状云过程的云参数进行了反演,将所得云参数加入到SBDART辐射传输模式中,进行辐射通量计算,并将计算的地面辐射通量与观测的地面辐射通量进行了对比分析。研究表明:1)利用毫米波雷达和微波辐射计数据联合反演的云参数比较可靠;2)利用SBDART模式并结合反演的云参数,可以准确实时地计算地面及其他高度层的长短波辐射通量;3)在反演的云参数中,光学厚度对地面各种辐射通量的影响是最大的,云层的光学厚度越大,到达地面的太阳短波辐射越小,地面反射短波辐射也越小。另外云底温度越高,云体向下发射的红外长波辐射越大。地面向上的长波辐射是地面温度的普朗克函数,随地面温度而变;4)云对地面的短波辐射强迫为负值,对地面有降温的作用。云对地面的长波辐射强迫是一个正值,对地面有一个增温的作用;5)云对地面的净辐射强迫随时间变化很大,它的正负与太阳高度角和云参数有关。     

2006年12月24—27日大范围大雾过程数值模拟

利用美国国家大气研究中心(NCAR)和宾夕法尼亚州立大学(PSU)联合研制的第5代中尺度气象模式系统MM5对2006年12月24—27日江苏及其周边地区出现的一次罕见持续性大雾进行数值模拟和诊断分析, 同时对影响大雾过程的辐射条件进行敏感性试验。结果表明:形成持续性大雾的主要原因是大气层结稳定, 水汽充沛, 同时, 地面和大气的长波辐射冷却是雾形成和发展的最重要因素; 而日出后太阳短波辐射加热和热量湍流输送是辐射雾消散的主要原因。在大雾发展和维持期间, 雾区近地层基本上为弱的水汽辐合区; 在大雾减弱和消散期间, 雾区大部分为弱的水汽辐散区。大范围的下沉辐散运动有利于中低层大气增温, 与近地层的辐射降温相配合, 加上近地层弱冷平流作用, 使低层大气降温, 有助于逆温形成, 而深厚逆温层的存在, 对雾区的长时间维持起着决定性作用。     

Impacts of greenhouse gases and aerosol direct and indirect effects on clouds and radiation in atmospheric GCM simulations of the 1930–1989 period

Among anthropogenic perturbations of the Earths atmosphere, greenhouse gases and aerosols are considered to have a major impact on the energy budget through their impact on radiative fluxes. We use three ensembles of simulations with the LMDZ general circulation model to investigate the radiative impacts of five species of greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, CFC-11 and CFC-12) and sulfate aerosols for the period 1930–1989. Since our focus is on the atmospheric changes in clouds and radiation from greenhouse gases and aerosols, we prescribed sea-surface temperatures in these simulations. Besides the direct impact on radiation through the greenhouse effect and scattering of sunlight by aerosols, strong radiative impacts of both perturbations through changes in cloudiness are analysed. The increase in greenhouse gas concentration leads to a reduction of clouds at all atmospheric levels, thus decreasing the total greenhouse effect in the longwave spectrum and increasing absorption of solar radiation by reduction of cloud albedo. Increasing anthropogenic aerosol burden results in a decrease in high-level cloud cover through a cooling of the atmosphere, and an increase in the low-level cloud cover through the second aerosol indirect effect. The trend in low-level cloud lifetime due to aerosols is quantified to 0.5 min day^–1 decade^–1 for the simulation period. The different changes in high (decrease) and low-level (increase) cloudiness due to the response of cloud processes to aerosols impact shortwave radiation in a contrariwise manner, and the net effect is slightly positive. The total aerosol effect including the aerosol direct and first indirect effects remains strongly negative.     

‘Evolution of a Storm-driven Cloudy Boundary Layer in the Arctic’

To investigate the processes of development and maintenance of low-level clouds during major synoptic events, the cloudy boundary layer under stormy conditions during the summertime Arctic has been studied using observations from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment and large-eddy simulations (LES). On 29 July 1998, a stable Arctic cloudy boundary-layer event was observed after the passage of a synoptic low pressure system. The local dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the boundary layer was determined from aircraft measurements including the analysis of turbulence, cloud microphysics and radiative properties. After the upper cloud layer advected over the existing cloud layer, the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget indicated that the cloud layer below 200 m was maintained predominantly by shear production. Observations of longwave radiation showed that cloud-top cooling at the lower cloud top has been suppressed by radiative effects of the upper cloud layer. Our LES results demonstrate the importance of the combination of shear mixing near the surface and radiative cooling at the cloud top in the storm-driven cloudy boundary layer. Once the low-level cloud reaches a certain height, depending on the amount of cloud-top cooling, the two sources of TKE production begin to separate in space under continuous stormy conditions, suggesting one possible mechanism for the cloud layering. The sensitivity tests suggest that the storm-driven cloudy boundary layer is possibly switched to the shear-driven system due to the advection of upper clouds or to the buoyantly driven system due to the lack of wind shear. A comparison is made of this storm-driven boundary layer with the buoyantly driven boundary layer previously described in the literature.     

Precipitation responses to radiative effects of ice clouds: A cloud-resolving modeling study of a pre-summer torrential precipitation event

The precipitation responses to the radiative effects of ice clouds are investigated through analysis of five-day and horizontally averaged data from 2D cumulus ensemble model experiments of a pre-summer torrential precipitation event. The exclusion of the radiative effects of ice clouds lowered the precipitation rate through a substantial reduction in the decrease of hydrometeors when the radiative effects of water clouds were switched on, whereas it increased the precipitation rate through hydrometeor change from an increase to a decrease when the radiative effects of ice clouds were turned off. The weakened hydrometeor decrease was associated with the enhanced longwave radiative cooling mainly through the decreases in the melting of non-precipitating ice to non-precipitating water. The hydrometeor change from an increase to a decrease corresponded to the strengthened longwave radiative cooling in the upper troposphere through the weakened collection of non-precipitating water by precipitation water.     

A hybrid technique for computing the monthly mean net longwave surface radiation over oceanic areas

Summary Global maps of the monthly mean net upward longwave radiation flux at the ocean surface have been obtained for April, July, October 1985 and January 1986. These maps were produced by blending information obtained from a combination of general circulation model cloud radiative forcing fields, the top-of-the-atmosphere cloud radiative forcing from ERBE and TOVS profiles and sea surface temperature on ISCCP C1 tapes. The fields are compatible with known meteorological regimes of atmospheric water vapor content and cloudiness. There is a vast area of high net upward longwave radiation flux (> 80 W m^–2) in the eastern Pacific Ocean throughout most of the year. Areas of low net upward longwave radiation flux (< 40 Wm^–2) are the tropical convective regions and extra tropical regions that tend to have persistent low cloud cover. The technique used in this study relies on GCM simulations and so is subject to some of the uncertainties associated with the model. However, all input information regarding temperature, moisture and cloud cover is from satellite data having near global coverage. This feature of the procedure alone warrants its consideration for further use in compiling global maps of the net longwave radiation at the surface over the oceans.With 9 Figures