Abstract
Different methods to determine the height of the convective boundary layer from lidar measurements are described and compared. The differences in either aerosol backscatter or in humidity between the boundary layer and the free troposphere are used, and either the variance or the gradient profile of the parameter under study is evaluated. On average the different methods are in very good agreement. Temporal resolution of the gradient methods is very high, on the order of seconds, but often there is an ambiguity in the choice of the “relevant” minimum in the gradient that corresponds to the boundary-layer height. This is avoided by combining the variance and the gradient methods, using the result of the variance analysis as an indicator for the region where the minimum of the gradient is sought. The combined method is useful for automated determination of the boundary-layer height at least under convective conditions. Aerosol backscatter is found to be as good an indicator for boundary-layer air as humidity, so a relatively simple backscatter lidar is sufficient for determination of the boundary-layer height.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Fall (2000) Water Vapor IOP. http://www.arm.gov/iops/2000/sgp2000fallwv/wv.html, 2000
Beyrich, F., Adam, W. K., Bange, J., Behrens, K., Berger, F. H., Bernhofer, C., Bösenberg, J., Dier, H., Foken, T., Gdecke, M., Grsdorf, U., Gldner, J., Hennemuth, B., Heret, C., Huneke, S., Kohsiek, W., Lammert, A., Lehmann, V., Leiterer, U., Leps, J.-P., Liebethal, C., Lohse, H., Ldi, A., Mauder, M., Meijinger, W.M.L., Mengelkamp, H.-T., Queck, R., Richter, S.H., Spie, T., Stiller, B., Tittebrand, A., Weisensee, U., and Zittel P.: (2004), Verdunstung über einer heterogenen Landoberfläche – Das LITFASS-2003 Experiment, Ein Bericht. Arbeitsergebnisse Nr. 79, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Offenbach, Deutschland, ISSN 1430-0281
Bösenberg J. (1998). ‘Ground-Based Differential Absorption Lidar for Water-vapor and Temperature Profiling: Methodology’. Appl.Optics 37, 3845–3860
Bösenberg, J., Matthias, V., Amodeo, A., Amoiridis, V., Ansmann, A., Baldasano, J. M., Balin, I., Böckmann, C., Boselli, A., Carlsson, G., Chaykovski, A., Chourdakis, G., Comeron, A., DeTomasi, F., Eixmann, R., Freudenthaler, V., Giehl, H., Grigorov, I., Hågård, A., Iarlori, M., Kirsche, A., Kolarov, G., Komguem, L. and Kreipl, S., Kumpf, W., Larchevêque, G., Linne, H., Matthey, R., Mattis, I., Mekler, A., Mironova, I., Mitev, V., Mona, L., Müller, D., Music, S., Nickovic, S., Pandolfi, M., Papayannis, A., Pappalardo, G., Pelon, J., Peres, C., Perrone, R.M., Persson, R., Resendes, D.P., Rizi, V., Rocadenbosch, F., Rodriguez, J., Sauvage, L., Schneidenbach, L., Schumacher, R., Shcherbakov, V., Simeonov, V., Sobolewski, P., Spinelli, N., Stachlewska, I., Stoyanov, D., Trickl, T., Tsaknakis, G., Vaughan, G., Wandinger, U., Wang, X., Wiegner, M., Zavrtanik M., and Zerefos, C.: (2003), ‘EARLINET: ‘A European Aerosol Research Lidar Network to Establish an Aerosol Climatology’, Report of the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 348
Cohn S.A., Angevine W.M. (1999). ‘Boundary Layer Height and Entrainment Zone Thickness Measured by Lidars and Wind-Profiling Radars’. J. Appl. Meteorol. 39, 1233–1247
Davis K.J., Gamage N., Hagelberg C.R., Kiemle C., Lenschow D.H. Sullivan P.P. (2000). ‘An Objective Method for Deriving Atmospheric Structure from Airborne Lidar Observations’. J. Atmos. Oceanic Tech. 17, 1455–1468
Ertel, K.: (2004), ‘Application and Development of Water Vapor DIAL Systems’, Dissertation, Universität Hamburg, http://www.sub.uni-hamburg.de/opus/volltexte/2004/2027
Flamant C., Pelon J., Flamant P.H., Durand P. (1997). Lidar Determination of the Entrainment Zone Thickness at the Top of the Unstable Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer’. Boundary-Layer Meterol. 83, 247–284
Fochesatto G.J., Drobinski P., Flamant C., Guedalia D., Sarrat C., Flamant P.H., Pelon J. (2001). ‘Evidence of Dynamical Coupling between the Residual Layers and the Developing Convective Boundary Layer’. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 99, 451–464
Joffre S.M., Kankgas M., Heikinheimo M., Kitaigorodskii S.A. (2001). ‘Variability of the Stable and Unstable Atmospheric Boundary-layer height and its Scales over a Boreal Forest’. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 99, 429–450
Lammert, A.: (2004), Untersuchung der turbulenten Grenzschicht mit Laserfernerkundung. Dissertation, Universität Hamburg, http://www.sub.uni-hamburg.de/opus/volltexte/2004/2103
Menut L., Flamant C., Pelon J., Flamant P.H. (1999). ‘Urban Boundary-Layer Height Determination from Lidar Measurements over the Paris Area’. Appl. Optics. 38, 945–954
Schwiesow R.L. (1986). Lidar Measurement of Boundary-Layer Variables. In: Lenschow D.H. (ed). Probing the Atmospheric Boundary Layer. AMS, Boston, pp. 139–162
Seibert P., Beyrich F., Gryning S.E., Joffre S., Rasmussen A., Tercier P. (2000). Review and Intercomparison of Operational Methods for the Determination of the Mixing Height. Atmos. Environ. 34, 1001–1027
Steyn D.G., Baldi M., Hoff R.M. (1999). The Detection of Mixing Layer Depth and Entrainment Zone Thickness from Lidar Backscatter Profiles. J. Atmos. Oceanic. Tech. 16(7): 953–959
Stull R.B. (1988). An Introduction to Boundary-Layer Meteorology. Kluwer Acad. Publ., Dordrecht, Boston, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lammert, A., Bösenberg, J. Determination of the convective boundary-layer height with laser remote sensing. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 119, 159–170 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-005-9020-x
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-005-9020-x