Analysis of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height Characteristics over the Arctic Ocean Using the Aircraft and GPS Soundings

Utilizing aircraft sounding data collected from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA, 1998) campaign, the authors evaluated commonly-used profile methods for Arctic ABL height estimation by validating against the’true’ABL height from aircraft sounding profiles, where ABL height is defined as the top of the layer with significant turbulence. Furthermore, the best performing method was used to estimate ABL height from the one-year GPS soundings obtained during SHEBA (October 1997-October 1998). It was found that the temperature gradient method produces a reliable estimate of ABL height. Additionally, the authors determined optimal threshold values of temperature gradient for stable boundary layer (SBL) and convective boundary layer (CBL) to be 6.5 K/100 m and 1.0 K/100 m, respectively. The maximum ABL height during the year was 1150 m occurred in May. Median values of Arctic ABL height in May, June, July, and August were 400 m, 430 m, 180 m, and 320 m, respectively. Arctic ABL heights are clearly higher in the spring than in the summer.     

Diurnal and seasonal variations of wind farm impacts on land surface temperature over western Texas

This paper analyzes seasonal and diurnal variations of MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) data at ~1.1 km for the period of 2003–2011 over a region in West-Central Texas, where four of the world’s largest wind farms are located. Seasonal anomalies are created from MODIS Terra (~10:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. local solar time) and Aqua (~1:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. local solar time) LSTs, and their spatiotemporal variability is analyzed by comparing the LST changes between wind farm pixels (WFPs) and nearby non wind farm pixels (NNWFPs) using different methods under different quality controls. Our analyses show consistently that there is a warming effect of 0.31–0.70 °C at nighttime for the nine-year period during which data was collected over WFPs relative to NNWFPs, in all seasons for both Terra and Aqua measurements, while the changes at daytime are much noisier. The nighttime warming effect is much larger in summer than winter and at ~10:30 p.m. than ~1:30 a.m. and hence the largest warming effect is observed at ~10:30 p.m. in summer. The spatial pattern and magnitude of this warming effect couple very well with the geographic distribution of wind turbines and such coupling is stronger at nighttime than daytime and in summer than winter. Together, these results suggest that the warming effect observed in MODIS over wind farms are very likely attributable to the development of wind farms. This inference is consistent with the increasing number of operational wind turbines with time during the study period, the diurnal and seasonal variations in the frequency of wind speed and direction distribution, and the changes in near-surface atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) conditions due to wind farm operations. The nocturnal ABL is typically stable and much thinner than the daytime ABL and hence the turbine enhanced vertical mixing produces a stronger nighttime effect. The stronger wind speed and the higher frequency of the wind speed within the optimal power generation range in summer than winter and at nighttime than daytime likely drives wind turbines to generate more electricity and turbulence and consequently results in the strongest warming effect at nighttime in summer. Similarly, the stronger wind speed and the higher frequency of optimal wind speed at ~10:30 p.m. than that at ~1:30 a.m. might help explain, to some extent, why the nighttime LST warming effect is slightly larger at ~10:30 p.m. than ~1:30 a.m. The nighttime warming effect seen in spring and fall are smaller than that in summer and can be explained similarly.     

Differences in Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Characteristics Between Wet and Dry Episodes of the Indian Summer Monsoon

The differences and similarities in atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) characteristics, in particular the ABL height, evolution and wind field, between two contrasting episodes of the Indian summer monsoon have been studied using measurements from wind profilers and an instrumented 50-m tower at Gadanki in India. The observed differences are discussed in light of various forcing mechanisms, in particular the effect of soil moisture on the surface energy balance and ABL. The differences in ABL height, its evolution and the wind field between episodes are quite pronounced. Wet episodes not only have a shallower ABL but also the growth is delayed by 1–4 h when compared with that for dry episodes. Abundant soil moisture during the wet episodes (a factor of two greater than during the dry episodes) reduces the buoyancy flux, and thereby not only limits the ABL height but also delays the commencement of ABL growth. The low-level jet (LLJ) is stronger during the dry episodes and has a larger diurnal range than during the wet episodes. The highest occurrence and magnitude of LLJ apparent at a height of 1.5 km during early morning hours shift progressively with height and time till the afternoon, following ABL evolution. The weaker LLJ during the wet episodes is attributed to its southward migration from its mean position (15 \(^{\circ }\) N). Larger signal-to-noise ratio and spectral width values are observed during the early night to midnight, compared to noon-time, when the ABL is buoyantly turbulent.     

A Simple Parametrization for the Concentration Variance Dissipation in a Lagrangian Single-Particle Model

A new quasi-analytical mixed-layer model is formulated describing the evolution of the convective atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) during cold-air outbreaks (CAO) over polar oceans downstream of the marginal sea-ice zones. The new model is superior to previous ones since it predicts not only temperature and mixed-layer height but also the height-averaged horizontal wind components. Results of the mixed-layer model are compared with dropsonde and aircraft observations carried out during several CAOs over the Fram Strait and also with results of a 3D non-hydrostatic (NH3D) model. It is shown that the mixed-layer model reproduces well the observed ABL height, temperature, low-level baroclinicity and its influence on the ABL wind speed. The mixed-layer model underestimates the observed ABL temperature only by about 10 %, most likely due to the neglect of condensation and subsidence. The comparison of the mixed-layer and NH3D model results shows good agreement with respect to wind speed including the formation of wind-speed maxima close to the ice edge. It is concluded that baroclinicity within the ABL governs the structure of the wind field while the baroclinicity above the ABL is important in reproducing the wind speed. It is shown that the baroclinicity in the ABL is strongest close to the ice edge and slowly decays further downwind. Analytical solutions demonstrate that the \(\mathrm{e}\)-folding distance of this decay is the same as for the decay of the difference between the surface temperature of open water and of the mixed-layer temperature. This distance characterizing cold-air mass transformation ranges from 450 to 850 km for high-latitude CAOs.     

2018年北京城区和远郊区低层大气风场特征分析

利用2018年1月1日至12月31日在北京国家综合气象观测实验基地获得的风廓线雷达资料和同时期在河北香河的华北香河全大气层野外科学观测研究站获得的多普勒声雷达资料,比较分析北京城区和远郊区的低层(0～600 m)大气风场特征.结果 表明:水平风速随高度增加而增大,同一高度层,远郊区的平均水平风速大于城区,且受湍流活动影...     

Impact of urbanization on boundary layer structure in Beijing

The Beijing meteorological tower is located in an area of Beijing, China, which has developed from a suburban to an inner city setting over the past 30 years. The impacts of this urbanization process on both the vertical profile and diurnal cycles of air temperature are investigated using hourly data collected from a series of monitoring levels (up to 325 m high) on the Beijing meteorological tower since 1984. We find that the inter-decadal temperature has increased gradually, and that a more significant increase occurred during the 1980s and 1990s due to the effects of urbanization. A well-defined change in temperature stratification was also observed over this period. The height of the temperature inversion layer decreased from the 1980s to the 2000s. A well-defined nighttime temperature inversion developed below 50 m during the summer in the 1980s, but this near-surface inversion is not seen in data from the 1990s and 2000s. This change can be related to an increase in turbulent mixing caused by urban roughness and surface heat storage that disturbs the near-surface temperature inversion layer. In addition, the diurnal change in temperature in the city in summer shows a maximum increase from sunrise to the early afternoon, which is mainly caused by the nature variability and global warming in both the summer and winter. The urbanization mainly contributes to the temperature increase in the afternoon and nighttime. Moreover the urbanization dominates the increase in daily mean near-surface temperature.     

One Year of Surface-Based Temperature Inversions at Dome C, Antarctica

In 2005 the Study of Stable Boundary Layer Environment at Dome C (STABLEDC) experimental campaign was conducted at the plateau station of Concordia at Dome C, Antarctica. Temperature profiles measured with a microwave radiometer were used to study the characteristics of surface-based temperature inversions over the course of a year. Statistics of temperature profiles for every month are discussed; the difference between daytime and nocturnal cases observed during the summer months disappears during winter. Surface-based temperature inversions occurred in 70 % of the time during summer, and almost all of the time during winter. During winter the occurrence of warming events leads to a decrease in the temperature difference between the top and the base of the inversion (i.e. the inversion strength). The inversion strength maxima ranged between $3\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ (December) and $35\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ (August) corresponding to gradients of 0.1 and $0.3\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\, \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ , respectively. The average surface-based inversion height presents a daily cycle during the summer months with values up to 200 m in the morning hours, while it affects a layer always deeper than 100 m during the winter months. The relationships between inversion strength and the downward longwave radiative flux, absolute temperature, and wind speed are examined. The inversion strength decreases as the longwave radiation increases. A clear anti-correlation between inversion strength and near-surface temperature is evident throughout the year. During the winter, the largest inversion strength values were observed under low wind-speed conditions; in contrast, a clear dependence was not found during the summer.     

Wind regime in the lower atmosphere over Moscow from the long-term acoustic sounding data

Presented are the results of the sounding of the lower atmospheric 500-meter layer for the period of 2004–2012 carried out at the Meteorological Observatory of the Moscow State University (MSU) with the MODOS Doppler acoustic radar (sodar) produced by METEK (Germany). Discussed is the methodological basis of the sodar wind data analysis. It is demonstrated that in the air layer up to 200 m the maximum values in the annual course of the wind speed are observed more often in autumn and winter, and the minimum values, in summer; this is associated with the fact that during the cold period of the year Moscow is often located in the zones of intense gradient currents. The diurnal course of the wind speed is characterized by the daytime maximum and night-time minimum in the layer up to 40–60 m from the surface; it is poorly pronounced and characterized by the minimum in the morning in the layer of 80–120 m; and the daytime minimum and night-time maximum are observed above 140–160 m. The layer from 80 to 120 m approximately corresponds to the height of the wind rotation. The amplitude of diurnal variations of the wind speed increases from 0.3 m/s at the height of 7 m and 0.6 m/s at the height of 15 m, to 4.5 m/s at the height of 400 m; however, its secondary minimum (0.5 m/s) associated with the rotation height is registered at the altitude of 80 m. The statistical relationship between the wind speed and surface air temperature is direct during the cold season, inverse during the warm season, and is absent in April and October. The average maximum wind speed over Moscow for ten minutes in the layer up to 500 m from the surface reaches 30–35 m/s in some cases if two conditions concur: the capital is located on the periphery of vast pressure formations (usually of deep cyclones) and the local low-level jet stream is present in the wind profile.     

冬季北京城市近地层的气象特征

运用2001年1～3月北京大气边界层和大气化学综合试验期间,中国科学院大气物理研究所铁塔上所获得的8～320 m 15层风、温度和湿度梯度资料,对冬季北京城市边界层特征进行了诊断分析.结果表明,在冬季北京城市边界层中,平均而言地表粗糙度为1.34、零平均位移约为20 m;温度基本上随高度呈线性变化;风速随高度的变化并不总遵循对数关系,尤其是在午前和夜间,风速与高度之间对数关系的不显著率可达30%～40%.不能简单套用在Monin-Obuhov相似理论中由Businger-Dve风廓线层结订正获得的近地面层动量、热量和水汽湍流输送计算公式.     

Study on Radar Detection of One Stratiform Cloud Precipitation Process in the Central Part of the Tianshan Mountains in China

In order to investigate the physical structure characteristics of the clouds and precipitation over the Tianshan Mountains in summer, the Urumqi Institute of Desert Meteorology of China Meteorological Administration (CMA) carried out an atmospheric detection experiment in Bayanbulak from 1st to 31st August 2012 by means of a wind-profiling radar and a Doppler weather radar. Using the radar observation data, this paper analyzes the dynamic, thermodynamic, radar echo intensity and macro-micro structure characteristics of the 2–3 August precipitation process. The results show that: (1) The radar echo intensity of this rainfall process changes within 5–38 dBZ, and the precipitation cloud system is under the height of 6500 m, with notable 0 °C level echo bright band between 1200 m and 2000 m height. NCEP analysis data shows that the cloud top temperature ranges from ?25 °C to ?32 °C. These indicate the features of typical stratiform cold cloud precipitation. (2) Atmospheric motion during the precipitation process presents the multi-layer structure with wind velocity varying within the range of 3.0–8.0 m/s. The temperature advection is presented with the vertical structure distribution of “cold-warm-cold”, which indicates relative stability of the atmospheric stratification. (3) By retrieving and analyzing the raindrop size distributions below 0 °C level bright band within 600–1200 m height, when the precipitation evolve from early stage to its peak stage, the concentration of the tiny particle zone (D?≤?2.5 mm) changes a little while the concentration of the medium particle zone (2.5?<?D?≤?4 mm) and the concentration of the large particle(D?>?4 mm) increase considerably; but after peak stage the concentration in the medium particle zone and the concentration in the large particle zone decline first, then the concentration in the tiny particle zone reduces. (4) Raindrop size distribution data is used to calculate the precipitation intensity and the liquid water content, whose spatial-temporal variation characteristics are the same. During peak stage of the precipitation, the instantaneous precipitation intensity reaches 5.0 mm/h, and the liquid water content reaches 0.35 g/m³. This study would help deepen the understanding on the physical structure of the clouds and precipitation over the Tianshan Mountains in summer, and also provide some scientific basis for cloud seeding operation over this area.     

Impact of Different Aerosols on the Evolution of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

The present work analyzes the effect of aerosols on the evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over Shangdianzi in Beijing.A one-dimensional ABL model and a radiative transfer scheme are incorporated to develop the structure of the ABL.The diurnal variation of the atmospheric radiative budget,atmospheric heating rate,sensible and latent heat fluxes,surface and the 2 m air temperatures as well as the ABL height,and its perturbations due to the aerosols with different single-scattering albedo (SSA) are studied by comparing the aerosol-laden atmosphere to the clean atmosphere.The results show that the absorbing aerosols cause less reduction in surface evaporation relative to that by scatting aerosols,and both surface temperature and 2 m temperature decrease from the clean atmosphere to the aerosol-laden atmosphere.The greater the aerosol absorption,the more stable the surface layer.After 12:00 am,the 2 m temperature increases for strong absorption aerosols.In the meantime,there is a slight decrease in the 2 m temperature for purely scattering aerosols due to radiative cooling.The purely scattering aerosols decrease the ABL temperature and enhance the capping inversion,further reducing the ABL height.     

夏季金塔边界层风、温度和湿度结构特征的初步分析

利用2004年6～7月在河西走廊金塔陆-气相互作用试验的观测资料,分析了该地区夏季夜间和中午风、温、湿的垂直结构特征,结果表明：夏季夜间,当地面风较小时,金塔绿洲高空可能为偏西风气流,夜间稳定层高度大致在100～190m。夏季中午,当低空为偏东风时,风速随高度的变化比较复杂。总的来说,存在着东风急流,急流高度在1000-4000m之间,大气边界层顶盖（即逆温层底）约在3000-3600m高度,在500-800m高度以下存在绿洲内边界层;当低空为偏北风或西北风时,高空都为偏西风或西北风气流,低空风速随高度的变化比较平缓,风速有时存在极大值,大气边界层顶盖（即逆温层底）在3500m左右,在1200m以下可能存在绿洲内边界层,绿洲内边界层高度有时会很低。     

2016年乌鲁木齐区域数值天气预报系统预报性能客观检验

基于MET检验工具对乌鲁木齐区域数值天气预报系统DOGRAFS v1.0在2016年各季节中的预报性能进行客观检验评估,主要检验要素有2m温度、10m风、500hPa形势场等,并与2015年同期预报性能进行对比分析,结果表明：(1)2016年该系统对各个季节2m温度预报以冷偏差为主,午间偏低幅度较大;夏季性能最优,冬季性能最差。对10m风预报以正偏差为主,平均误差在1.0m/s以内;各季节预报性能无明显差异。(2)2016年该系统对500hPa位势高度和温度预报以负偏差为主;位势高度预报性能夏季最优、秋季最差;温度预报性能在夏季最优、冬季最差。24h预报时效的预报性能整体优于48h预报时效。(3)2016年晴雨预报效果较好,夏季降水评分最高、冬季最低。随降水阈值增大、TS评分降低,系统对夏季午后至夜间降水预报评分较高。(4)2015年各要素预报偏差的变化特征与2016年相似,2016年预报性能整体优于2015年。     

东疆黑戈壁近地大气边界层气象要素季节变化规律

利用东疆红柳河黑戈壁下垫面陆气相互作用观测站2017年近地大气边界层梯度探测资料和红柳河气象站天气现象观测数据,分析该地区典型晴天条件下的近地层风速、温度和比湿的四季廓线特征。结果表明:四季近地层风廓线变化规律明显。典型晴天条件下,在0.5～4 m高度内风速随高度的增加而变大的速度较快,在4～32 m范围内,白天风速随高度增大较缓慢,但夜间出现快速增大;存在明显的夜间逆温,逆温层主要集中在4～32 m,冬季逆温强于夏季,晨间0.5～32 m间的温度差可达4.6℃,且红柳河四季的气温日较差均较大,秋季可达到15.7℃;夜间比湿高于白天,秋、冬季夜间逆湿层出现在10～32 m,其比湿差为0.15 g/kg左右,夏季无逆湿现象。     

Investigation on the fine structure of sea-breeze during ESCOMPTE experiment

Surface and remote-sensing instruments deployed during ESCOMPTE experiment over the Marseille area, along the Mediterranean coast, were used to investigate the fine structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) during sea-breeze circulation in relation to pollutant transport and diffusion. Six sea-breeze events are analyzed with a particular focus on 25 June 2001.Advection of cool and humid marine air over land has a profound influence on the daytime ABL characteristics. This impact decreases rapidly with the inland distance from the sea. Nearby the coast (3 km inland), the mixing height Zi rises up to 750 m and falls down after 15:00 (UT) when the breeze flow reaches its maximum intensity. A more classical evolution of the ABL is observed at only 11-km inland where Zi culminates in the morning and stabilizes in the afternoon at about 1000 m height.Fine inspection of the data revealed an oscillation of the sea-breeze with a period about 2 h 47 min. This feature, clearly discernable for 3 days at least, is present in several atmospheric variables such as wind, temperature, not only at the ground but also aloft in the ABL as observed by sodar/RASS and UHF wind profilers. In particular, the mixing height Zi deduced from UHF profilers observations is affected also by the same periodicity. This pulsated sea-breeze is observed principally above Marseille and, at the northern and eastern shores of the Berre pond.In summary, the periodic intrusion over land of cool marine air modifies the structure of the ABL in the vicinity of the coast from the point of view of stability, turbulent motions and pollutants concentration. An explanation of the source of this pulsated sea-breeze is suggested.     

Equilibrium Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow: Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation with Balanced Forces

Forcing relationships in steady, neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) flow are thoroughly analyzed. The ABL flow can be viewed as balanced between a forcing and a drag term. The drag term results from turbulent stress divergence, and above the ABL, both the drag and the forcing terms vanish. In computational wind engineering applications, the ABL flow is simulated not by directly specifying a forcing term in the ABL but by specifying boundary conditions for the simulation domain. Usually, these include the inflow boundary and the top boundary conditions. This ‘boundary-driven’ ABL flow is dynamically different from its real counterpart, and this is the major reason that the simulated boundary-driven ABL flow does not maintain horizontal homogeneity. Here, first a dynamical approach is proposed to develop a neutrally stratified equilibrium ABL flow. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software (Fluent 6.3) with the standard \(k\) – \(\varepsilon \) turbulence model is employed, and by applying a driving force profile, steady equilibrium ABL flows are simulated by the model. Profiles of wind speed and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) derived using this approach are reasonable in comparison with the conventional logarithmic law and with observational data respectively. Secondly, the equilibrium ABL profiles apply as inflow conditions to simulate the boundary-driven ABL flow. Simulated properties between the inlet and the outlet sections across a fetch of 10 km are compared. Although profiles of wind speed, TKE, and its dissipation rate are consistently satisfactory under higher wind conditions, a deviation of TKE and its dissipation rate between the inlet and outlet are apparent (7–8 %) under lower wind-speed conditions (2 m s \(^{-1}\) at 10 m). Furthermore, the simulated surface stress systematically decreases in the downwind direction. A redistribution of the pressure field is also found in the simulation domain, which provides a different driving pattern from the realistic case in the ABL.     

ERA5再分析数据适用性初步评估

利用山东省及周边地区10个站点的地面和高空观测资料对ERA5再分析资料的适用性进行了初步评估。结果表明：再分析的海平面气压和2 m温度与实况资料的相关性明显优于2 m相对湿度和10 m风场;高空温度和相对湿度在对流层中低层的适用性要好于高层,而位势高度和风场在中高层适用性较好;海平面气压再分析与实况的相关有着最明显的季节变化,2 m温度、2 m相对湿度和10 m风速则在部分站点有较明显的季节变化,而10 m风向的相关系数更多地表现出站点之间的差异,高空要素的适用性,季节和区域差异不明显。另外,对比发现,ERA5的适用性总体上要优于ERA-Interim再分析资料,地面和对流层低层的相对湿度、风场提高更为明显。     

乌鲁木齐市近地层风切变指数特征

利用乌鲁木齐市5座100 m气象铁塔2012年6月—2014年4月10层风速观测资料,应用统计学方法详细分析了乌鲁木齐市城区和郊区近地层风切变指数特征,得出以下结果:乌鲁木齐市风切变指数分布范围在-1.5~1.5,基本呈正态分布。风切变指数与风速大小关系密切,当风速1 m/s时,切变指数变化较大;当风速2 m/s时,切变指数变化较小。城区和郊区最大切变指数出现高度差异较大,南郊燕南立交切变指数最大在36~46 m,城区水塔山在60~77m,城区鲤鱼山在13~22 m,近北郊红光山在46~60 m,北郊米东在28~36 m。各层切变指数白天变化幅度大,夜间变化幅度小。切变指数日变化不规律与城市边界层变化的复杂性密切相关。降温幅度大的秋季-冬季时段,易出现切变指数小于0的情况。     

东北地区夏季冷暖年大气环流异常的空间特征及演变

本文利用40年全球范围的温度场、高度场、UV风场资料，分析东北地区冷暖夏年的大气环流异常空间特征及长期演变，分析结果表明：东北低温冷害是一种时空尺度都很大的灾害性天气气候现象，冷夏年500hPa盛行经向环流。高纬有阻高或暖脊维持，西太平洋副高偏弱，温度场、高度场的垂直分布为伸展至对流层顶的正压结构，纬向呈一波型异常结构，有超长波槽稳定维持于东北地区，冷夏前期，大陆冷高压偏弱，冷空气活跃，冰岛低压和阿留申低压发展较深，太平洋副高持续偏弱，这种状态可以持续到夏季，便形成了东北地区的冷夏。     

Understanding Madden-Julian-Induced sea surface temperature variations in the North Western Australian Basin

The strongest large-scale intraseasonal (30–110 day) sea surface temperature (SST) variations in austral summer in the tropics are found in the eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia (North-Western Australian Basin, or NWAB). TMI and Argo observations indicate that the temperature signal (std. ~0.4 °C) is most prominent within the top 20 m. This temperature signal appears as a standing oscillation with a 40–50 day timescale within the NWAB, associated with ~40 Wm^?2 net heat fluxes (primarily shortwave and latent) and ~0.02 Nm^?2 wind stress perturbations. This signal is largely related to the Madden-Julian Oscillation. A slab ocean model with climatological observed mixed-layer depth and an ocean general circulation model both accurately reproduce the observed intraseasonal SST oscillations in the NWAB. Both indicate that most of the intraseasonal SST variations in the NWAB in austral winter are related to surface heat flux forcing, and that intraseasonal SST variations are largest in austral summer because the mixed-layer is shallow (~20 m) and thus more responsive during that season. The general circulation model indicates that entrainment cooling plays little role in intraseasonal SST variations. The larger intraseasonal SST variations in the NWAB as compared to the widely-studied thermocline-ridge of the Indian Ocean region is explained by the larger convective and air-sea heat flux perturbations in the NWAB.