Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Temperature stratification of the atmospheric boundary layer over the Deccan Plateau, India, during the summer monsoon

  • Published:
Boundary-Layer Meteorology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The vertical and horizontal temperature structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) were studied using aircraft observations made in the lowest 2.4 km above ground level during the summer monsoon.

The vertical temperature structure of the ABL in the region may be classified into the following four categories.

Category

The ABL consisted of two layers of thickness 700–900 m separated by a thin transition layer. The lapse rates in the former two layers were dry adiabatic.

Category

The lowest layer of the ABL of thickness 400–600 m was adiabatically stratified and the overlying layer was stable with gradients of potential temperature 4–5°C km−1. The stable layer contained a thin adiabatic stratified layer of 200–300 m thickness at a height of 1.5 km.

Category

The lowest 200–400 m layer of the ABL was adiabatically stratified and the overlying layer was stable with potential temperature gradients of 5–6 °C km1.

Category

The ABL was mainly stable with potential temperature gradients of 6 °C km−1 or greater. Occasionally thin layers with adiabatic stratification were found embedded in the ABL.

The temperature distribution of the horizontal temperature at 900 m was mainly normal. The high-frequency portion of the spectra lying between 0.05 and 0.16 Hz (corresponding to wave length 1 km to 300 m) oscillated around the −\2/3 power law line. The spectral curve showed a significant peak at 0.011 Hz having a wave-length of 5 km.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ananthakrishnan, R.: 1977, ‘Some Aspects of the Monsoon Circulation and Monsoon Rainfall’, Pure Appl. Geophys. 115, 1209–1249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Augstein, E. and Garstang, M.: 1977, ‘Report of the U.S. Central Program Workshop’ held at NCAR, Boulder, Colorado, 25 July to 12 August 1977, Sponsored by National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 455–545.

  • Axford, D. N.: 1972, ‘A case of a High Level Canberra Flight on 11 September 1968’ Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 98, 420–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brummer, B.: 1978, ‘Mass and Energy Budgets of a 1 km High Atmospheric box over the GATE C-scale Triangle during Undisturbed and Disturbed Weather Conditions’, J. Atmos. Sci. 6, 997–1011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Croxton, F. E. and Cowden, D. J.: 1966, Applied General Statistics, Prentice-Hall of India (P) Ltd., New Delhi, pp. 843.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garstang, M. and Betts, A. K.: 1974, ‘A Review of the Tropical Boundary Layer and Cumulus Convection: Structure, Parameterization and Modelling’, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 55, 1195–1205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henrion, X. and Sauvageot, H.: 1977, ‘Spectral Analysis of Stratiform Cloud Radar Observations’, Geophys. Res. Letters 4, 360–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R. H.: 1978, ‘Characteristics Structure and Growth of Non-precipitating Cumulus Layer over South Florida’, Mon. Wea. Rev. 106, 1495–1504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pant, M. C.: 1977, ‘Vertical Structure of the Planetary Boundary Layer in the West Indian Ocean during the Indian Southwest Monsoon as Revealed by ISMEX Data’, Indian J. Meteorol. Hydrol. Geophys. 29, 88–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramanathan, Y.: 1978, ‘A Study of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer over the Arabian Sea from ISMEX 1973 Data’, Indian J. Meteorol. Hydrol. Geophys. 29, 643–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Selvam, A., Murty, A. S. R., Vijayakumar, R., Paul, S. K., Manohar, G. K., Reddy, R. S., Mukherjee, B. K. and Ramana Murty, Bh. V.: 1979, ‘Some Thermodynamical and Microphysical Aspects of Monsoon Clouds’, Submitted to Proc. Indian Academy of Sciences, Series A.

  • Vernekar, K. G. and Brij Mohan: 1975, ‘Temperature Measurement from Aircraft Using Vortex Thermometer’, Indian J. Meteorol. Hydrol. Geophys. 26, 253–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vonnegut, B.: 1950, ‘Vortex Thermometer for Measuring True Air Temperatures and True Air Speeds in Flight’, Rev. Sci. Instruments 21, 136–141.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, 5, Poona, India

    S. S. Parasnis, K. Krishna & Brij Mohan

Authors
  1. S. S. Parasnis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Krishna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brij Mohan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Department of Geoscience, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27650, U.S.A.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Parasnis, S.S., Krishna, K. & Mohan, B. Temperature stratification of the atmospheric boundary layer over the Deccan Plateau, India, during the summer monsoon. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 19, 165–174 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117218

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117218

Keywords

Search

Navigation