Structural features of the planetary boundary layer in the continent-ocean transition zone as inferred from data of lidar and meteorological soundings

The results of an analysis of the annual variation of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height in the continent-ocean transition zone determined from lidar and meteorological data are presented. Means of the height and its variances are calculated in a month-long window. The PBL heights reconstructed from these measurements are found to differ substantially in the spring and summer seasons. These results are explained by the influence of dust storms and cyclones, which are the most intense in these seasons, on the structure of aerosol in the atmosphere.