Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Surface Heterogeneity and Vertical Structure of the Boundary Layer

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

Abstract

The concepts of vertical structure of the boundary layer over homogeneous surfaces are discussed, including the roughness sublayer, surface layer (inertial layer) and outer layer. As an interpretive literature survey, the vertical depth of the influence of surface heterogeneity, relative to such vertical structure, is examined in terms of blending height theory, convective boundary-layer scaling and internal boundary-layer theory.

These concepts are examined with data over different surface types. The rich variety of types of surface heterogeneity and background flow preclude description of their influence on the boundary layer by one single approach. Nonetheless, new scaling arguments offer promise for convective conditions.

Internal boundary layers are found to form only in certain situationsand even then may exhibit more diffuse vertical structure comparedto the textbook internal boundary layer. New scaling arguments aredeveloped to describe the potential for internal boundary-layerdevelopment in flow of warm air over a cooler surface. These argumentsexplain some aspects of the observations but remain incomplete.

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

  • Avissar, R. and Pielke, R. A.: 1989, 'A Parameterization of Heterogeneous Land Surfaces for Atmospheric Numerical Models and its Impact on Regional Meteorology', Mon. Wea. Rev.117, 2113–2136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brutsaert, W. H.: 1982, Evaporation into the Atmosphere. D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 299 pp.

  • rCellier, P. and Brunet, Y.: 1992, 'Flux-Gradient Relationships above Tall Plant Canopies', Agric. For. Meteorol.58, 93–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claussen, M.: 1990, 'Area-Averaging of Surface Fluxes in a Neutrally Stratified, Horizontally Inhomogeneous Atmospheric Boundary Layer', Atmos. Environ.24a, 1349–1360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Bruin, H. A. R., Bink, N. J., and Kroon, L. J. M.: 1991, 'Fluxes in the Surface Layer under Advective Conditions', in T. J. Schmugge and J.-C. Andre (eds.), Land Surface Evaporation; Measurement and Parameterization, Springer Verlag, pp. 157–170.

  • Doran, J. C., Shaw, W. J., and Hubbe, J. M.: 1995, 'Boundary Layer Characteristics over Areas of Inhomogeneous Surface Fluxes', J. Appl. Meteorol.34, 559–571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garratt, J. R.: 1978, 'Flux-Profile Relations above Tall Vegetation', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.104, 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garratt, J. R.: 1980, 'surface Influence upon Vertical Profiles in the Atmospheric Near-Surface Layer', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.106, 803–819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garratt, J. R.: 1990, 'The Internal Boundary Layer – A Review', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.50, 171–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garratt, J. R. and Ryan, B. F.: 1989, 'The Structure of the Stably Stratified Internal Boundary Layer in Offshore Flow over the Sea', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.47, 17–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. L. M.: 1991, 'surface Drag and Turbulence over an Inhomogeneous Land Surface', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.56, 309–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, G. D.: 1994, a'Recent Ideas on Roughness, Inhomogeneities and Mixing in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer's, Aust. Met. Mag.43, 239–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtslag, A. A. M. and Nieuwstadt, F. T. M.: 1986, 'scaling the Atmospheric Boundary Layer', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.36, 201–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lettau, H. H.: 1969, 'Note on Aerodynamic Roughness-Parameter Estimation on the Basis of Roughness-Element Description', J. Appl. Meteorol.8, 823–832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L.: 1979, 'Penetrative Convection at the Top of a Growing Boundary Layer', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.105, 469–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L.: 1996, 'The Bulk Aerodynamic Formulation over Heterogeneous Surfaces', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.78, 87–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L.: 1999, 'stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layers', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.90, 375–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L., Sun, J., Vickers, D., MacPherson, J. I., Pederson, J. R., and Desjardins, R. L.: 1994, 'Observations of Fluxes and Inland Breezes over a Heterogeneous Surface', J. Atmos. Sci.51, 2165–2178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L., Vickers, D., Edson, J., Sun, J., Højstrup, J., Hare, J., and Wilczak, J.: 1998, 'Heat Flux in the Coastal Zone', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.86, 421–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, P. J.: 1988, 'The Formation of Areally Averaged Roughness Lengths', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.114, 399–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton, K. G. and Laubach, J.: 1998, 'Unsteadiness as a Cause on Non-Equality of Eddy Diffusivities for Heat and Vapour at the Base of an Advective Inversion', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.88, 479–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parlange, M. and Brutsaert, W.: 1993, 'Regional Shear Stress of Broken Forest from Radiosonde Wind Profiles in the Unstable Surface Layer', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.64, 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pederson, J. R., Mahrt, L., Delaby, A., Oncley, S., Den Hartog, G., Newmann, H. H., Mickle, R. E., Shaw, R. H., Paw U, K. T., Grantz, D. A., MacPherson, J. I., Desjardins, R., Schuepp, P. H., Pearson Jr., R., and Arcado, T. E.: 1995, 'California Ozone Deposition Experiment: Methods, Results, and Opportunities', Atmos. Environ.29, 3115–3132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Physick, W. and Garratt, J. R.: 1995, 'Incorporation of a High-Roughness Lower Boundary into a Mesoscale Model for Studies of Dry Deposition over Complex Terrain', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.74, 55–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R.: 1992, 'Drag and Drag Partition on Rough Surfaces', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.60, 375–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R.: 1994, 'simplified Expressions for Vegetation Roughness Length and Zero-Plane Displacement as Functions of Canopy Height and Area Index', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.71, 211–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, R. R. and Finnigan, J. J.: 1995, 'scale Issues in Boundary-Layer Meteorology: Surface Energy Balances in Heterogeneous Terrain', Hydro. Proc.9, 589–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R., Antonia, R. A., and Rajagopalan, S.: 1991, 'Rough-Wall Turbulent Boundary Layers', Appl. Mechanics Revs.44, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R., Thom, A. S., and Edwards, I.: 1980, 'AWind Tunnel Study of Turbulent Flow Close to Regularity Arrayed Rough Surface', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.18, 373–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, H. P. and Bünzli, D.: 1995, 'The Influence of Surface Texture on the Effective Roughness Length', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.121A, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smedman, A.-S., Bergström, H., and Högström, U.: 1995, 'spectra, Variances and Length Scales in a Marine Stable Boundary Layer Dominated by a Low Level Jet', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.76, 211–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorbjan, Z.: 1989, Structure of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 317 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J. and Mahrt, L.: 1995, 'Relationship of the Heat Flux to Microscale Temperature Variations: Application to BOREAS', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.76, 291–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Desjardins, R., Mahrt, L., and MacPherson, J. I.: 1998, 'Transport of Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor and Ozone by Turbulence and Local Circulations', J. Geophys. Res.103, 25,873–25,885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Lenschow, D., Mahrt, L., Crawford, T., Davis, K., Oncley, S., MacPherson, J. I., Wang, Q., Dobosy, R., and Desjardins, R. L.: 1997, 'Lake-Induced Atmospheric Circulations during BOREAS', J. Geophys. Res.102, 29,155–29,166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Massman, W., and Grantz, D.: 1999, 'Aerodynamic Variables in the Bulk Formula', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.91, 109–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, P. A.: 1987, 'Comments and Further Analysis on Effective Roughness Lengths for Use in Numerical Three-Dimensional Models', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.39, 403–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wieringa, J.: 1993, 'Representative Roughness Parameters for Homogeneous Terrain', Boundary-Layer Meteorol.63, 323–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, N. and Mason, P. J.: 1991, 'The Influence of Stability on the Effective Roughness Lengths for Momentum and Heat Flux', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc.117, 1025–1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A.

    L. Mahrt

Authors
  1. L. Mahrt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mahrt, L. Surface Heterogeneity and Vertical Structure of the Boundary Layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 96, 33–62 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002482332477

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002482332477

Search

Navigation