Abstract
Observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment-Integrated Ground Observation Campaign (CAIPEEX-IGOC) provide a rare opportunity to investigate nocturnal atmospheric surface-layer processes and surface-layer turbulent characteristics associated with the low-level jet (LLJ). Here, an observational case study of the nocturnal boundary layer is presented during the peak monsoon season over Peninsular India using data collected over a single night representative of the synoptic conditions of the Indian summer monsoon. Datasets based on Doppler lidar and eddy-covariance are used for this purpose. The LLJ is found to generate nocturnal turbulence by introducing mechanical shear at higher levels within the boundary layer. Sporadic and intermittent turbulent events observed during this period are closely associated with large eddies at the scale of the height of the jet nose. Flux densities in the stable boundary layer are observed to become non-local under the influence of the LLJ. Different turbulence regimes are identified, along with transitions between turbulent periods and intermittency. Wavelet analysis is used to elucidate the presence of large-scale eddies and associated intermittency during nocturnal periods in the surface layer. Although the LLJ is a regional-scale phenomenon it has far reaching consequences with regard to surface-atmosphere exchange processes.
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Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) for all his constant encouragement and support. We also thank all the members of the CAIPEEX-IGOC team and the staff of the IITM-workshop for their assistance with this project. Data can be obtained for research purposes by contacting the second author Dr. Thara V. Prabha at thara@tropmet.res.in. CAIPEEX and the Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) are parts of IITM, an autonomous research institute of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India. Wavelet software was provided by C. Torrence and G. Compo, and is available at URL: http://atoc.colorado.edu/research/wavelets/. Freely available Ferret program by NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory has been used for Fig. 1 (http://ferret.pmel.noaa.gov/Ferret/).
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Deb Burman, P.K., Prabha, T.V., Morrison, R. et al. A Case Study of Turbulence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer During the Indian Summer Monsoon. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 169, 115–138 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-018-0364-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-018-0364-4