Observations Of The Turbulence Structure Within Two Stratocumulus-Topped, Marine Boundary Layers

Abstract

Two situations observed during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2) are analysed from aircraft measurements in the broken stratocumulus (Sc)-topped marine boundary layer. The first one (26 June 1997), characterized by a non-polluted, oceanic air mass, presents a decoupling between the Sc layer (1400–1520 m) and the turbulent mixed layer, this latter extending from the surface up to 580 m. In contrast, the second case (9 July 1997), during which continental air had been advected over the experimental area, presents a well-coupled layer extending from the surface up to the top of the Sc layer(910 m). This coupling, uncommon in this area in the middle of the day, isrelated to the relative shallowness of the boundary layer. For both situations,it is shown that the turbulent fluxes can be computed with reasonably goodaccuracy (better than 10 %), taking into account both the random and thesystematic errors involved in the eddy-correlation technique. Estimationof random error is based on the computation of the integral scale of thecovariance, and systematic error is estimated from the parameterizationof Mann and Lenschow. The fluxes show that the buoyancy, as a sourceof turbulence, is due to latent heat flux rather than sensible heat flux,with values comparable to previous experiments in the Azores-Canariesbasin. In addition, we propose a method to analyse, for coupled situations,the relationship between the fractional cloudiness and the organization ofthe turbulent field below the clouds. This method is based on a conditionalsampling technique. It is shown that this organization cannot be deducedfrom the analysis of the velocity signal, which is dominated by turbulence.However, when the signals are conditionally sampled according to thepresence or absence of clouds, a weak cloud-related organization can beshown, and the cloud-related transports quantified; the values found areof the order of 10 % of the total transfers, i.e. the same order of magnitude asthe errors on the total flux computation. The method developed is thereforepromising, provided that the uncertainties can be reduced by analyzing a highamount of data.