Abstract
The height of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) plays a crucial role in the vertical transport of energy, moisture, and pollutants from the surface. We investigate the development of the convective ABL (CABL) height over a tropical coastal station and quantify its variations with the shortwave radiative flux, near-surface air temperature (Tair), soil skin temperature, soil moisture content, lower tropospheric thermal structure, and virtual potential temperature lapse rate (VPLR) during onshore and offshore flows, based on multi-year (2012–2017) observations carried out using a microwave radiometer profiler and in situ probes at Thumba (8.5° N, 77° E), located in the south-west of Indian Peninsula. The maximum CABL height increases linearly with the VPLR at the rate of 140 to 200 m per °C km−1 (correlation coefficient of 0.82 to 0.92) during different seasons. The delayed onset of daytime onshore flow results in a greater CABL height as continental conditions persist longer, allowing more CABL growth, whereas the earlier arrival of the onshore flow leads to early development of a thermal internal boundary layer with a lower CABL height. When offshore flow prevails, the CABL develops like the continental CABL, with a peak CABL height greater than that during onshore flow by about 300 m. The onset of onshore flow lowers the daytime increase in Tair by about 2 °C. Such quantifications for distinct flow conditions are very sparse over tropical coastal regions and would be useful for understanding coastal air-pollution dispersal as well as validation and improvements in numerical modelling of the CABL under different wind conditions.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank C. Suresh Raju, SPL, for providing the microwave radiometer profiler data during 2012–2017. MERRA-2 data are available at the Modeling and Assimilation Data and Information Services Center (MDISC), managed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC). Digital elevation map is accessed through https://topotools.cr.usgs.gov/GMTED_viewer/gmted2010_fgdc_metadata.html. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their very constructive comments and suggestions, which improved the content of this paper.
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Davis, E.V., Rajeev, K. & Sambhu Namboodiri, K.V. The Convective-Atmospheric-Boundary-Layer Height and its dependence upon Meteorological Variables At a Tropical Coastal Station during Onshore and Offshore Flows. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 183, 143–166 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-021-00665-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-021-00665-7