Kinematic models of a dry convective boundary layer compared with dual-Doppler radar observations of wind fields

The kinematic structure of the convective boundary layer, observed by a dual-Doppler radar system, is compared with the structure predicted by simple shear models. We first consider the models to be inviscid, then add viscous effects. Model 1 assumes a linear ambient wind profile from the surface through the boundary layer, and a constant wind above. The shear layer is assumed to be statically neutral, but static stability is permitted in the region above the shear. Model 2 has a hyperbolic tangent ambient wind profile.After considering the inviscid models, some of the effects of viscosity are incorporated into the models in a crude way, and the results are compared.We conclude that although the presence of shear is important, the kinematic structure is relatively independent of the details of the wind and temperature profiles. Viscosity has important effects, especially near the critical level where the disturbance velocity is equal to the wind speed. The patterns predicted by both models agree very well with the dual-Doppler radar observations when viscosity is included.