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Relationship of atmospheric boundary layer depth with thermodynamic processes at the land surface in arid regions of China

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Abstract

The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is an important physical characteristic of the Earth’s atmosphere. Compared with the typical ABL, the ABL in arid regions has distinct features and is formed by particular mechanisms. In this paper, the depth of the diurnal and nocturnal ABLs and their related thermodynamic features of land surface processes, including net radiation, the ground-air temperature difference and sensible heat flux, under typical summer and winter conditions are discussed on the basis of comprehensive observations of the ABL and thermodynamic processes at the land surface carried out in the extreme arid zone of Dunhuang. The relationships of the ABL depth in the development and maintenance stages with these thermodynamic features are also investigated. The results show that the depth of the ABL is closely correlated with the thermodynamic features in both development and maintenance stages and more energy is consumed in the development stage. Further analysis indicates that wind velocity also affects ABL development, especially the development of a stable boundary layer in winter. Taken together, the analysis results indicate that extremely strong thermodynamic processes at the land surface are the main driving factor for the formation of a deep ABL in an arid region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Reducing Disaster of Gansu Province, Key Open Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Disaster Reduction, Lanzhou Institute of Arid Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    Qiang Zhang & Sheng Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disasters (KLMD), Ministry of Education, Nanjing Information Engineering University, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Jie Zhang

  3. Meteorological Bureau of Xi’an City, Xi’an, 710016, China

    Juan Qiao

  4. Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Sheng Wang

Authors
  1. Qiang Zhang
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  2. Jie Zhang
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  3. Juan Qiao
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  4. Sheng Wang
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Correspondence to Qiang Zhang.

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Zhang, Q., Zhang, J., Qiao, J. et al. Relationship of atmospheric boundary layer depth with thermodynamic processes at the land surface in arid regions of China. Sci. China Earth Sci. 54, 1586–1594 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-011-4207-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-011-4207-0

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