Frank Beyrich

Review and intercomparison of operational methods for the determination of the mixing height

Abstract The height of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) or the mixing height (MH) is a fundamental parameter characterising the structure of the lower troposphere. Two basic possibilities for the practical determination of the MH are its derivation from profile data (measurements or numerical model output) and its parameterisation using simple equations or models (which only need a few measured input values). Different methods suggested in the literature are reviewed in this paper. The most important methods have been tested on data sets from three different sites in Europe (Cabauw – NL, Payerne – CH, Melpitz – D). Parcel and Richardson number methods applied to radiosonde profiles and the analysis of sodar and wind profiler data have been investigated. Modules for MH determination implemented in five currently used meteorological preprocessors for dispersion models have been tested, too. Parcel methods using a revised coefficient for the excess temperature and Richardson number methods using a surface excess temperature worked well under convective conditions. Under stable conditions, the inherent difficulties call for a combination of several methods (e.g., mast and sodar). All the tested parameterisation schemes showed deficiencies under certain conditions, thus requiring more flexible algorithms able to take into account changing and non-classical conditions. Recommendations are formulated regarding both the analysis of profile measurements and the use of parameterisations and simple models, and suggestions for the preprocessor development and for future research activities are presented.

Results from One-Year Continuous Operation of a Large Aperture Scintillometer over a Heterogeneous Land Surface

A large-aperture scintillometer (LAS) was operated continuouslyduring a period of more than one year over a heterogeneous land surface in Central Europeat the transition between marine and continental climates. The LAS measurements of the refractiveindex structure parameter, CN2, were used to estimate the sensible heat flux. Thiswas possible for about 60to 80% of the time under daytime conditions during thesummer, with lower values obtained for the cold season (October to March). Using datafrom a three-week long field experiment, the LAS-based heat flux was compared with a weighedaverage of local heat flux measurements over the main land use classes (forest, agriculture,water) in the area, resulting in reasonable agreement. LAS-based heat fluxes were then used forcomparison with the heat flux values of a numerical weather prediction model. An over-predictionof the model heat flux was found in summer but the modelled values were lower than the LASderived data during the cold season.

Spatially-Averaged Temperature Structure Parameter Over a Heterogeneous Surface Measured by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The structure parameter of temperature,

Evaporation over a heterogeneous land surface - The EVA-GRIPS project

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Estimation of the Entrainment Zone Depth in a Shallow Convective Boundary Layer from Sodar Data

, in the lower convective boundary layer was measured using the unmanned mini aerial vehicle M2AV. The measurements were carried out on two hot summer days in July 2010 over a heterogeneous land surface around the boundary-layer field site of the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory—Richard-Aßmann-Observatory of the German Meteorological Service. The spatial series of

Composing the diurnal cycle of mixing height from simultaneous sodar and wind profiler measurements

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