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Aircraft Observations of the Development of Thermal Internal Boundary Layers and Scaling of the Convective Boundary Layer Over Non-Homogeneous Land Surfaces

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Abstract

This study investigates the convective boundary layer (CBL) that develops over anon-homogeneous surface under different thermal and dynamic conditions. Analysesare based on data obtained from a Russian research aircraft equipped with turbulentsensors during the GAME-Siberia experiment over Yakutsk in Siberia, from April to June 2000.

Mesoscale thermal internal boundary layers (MTIBLs) that radically modified CBLdevelopment were observed under unstable atmospheric conditions. It was found thatMTIBLs strongly influenced the vertical and horizontal structures of virtual potentialtemperature, specific humidity and, most notably, the vertical sensible and latent heatfluxes. MTIBLs in the vicinity of the Lena River lowlands were confirmed by clouddistributions in satellite pictures.

MTIBLs spread through the entire CBL and radically modify its structure if the CBL isunstable, and strong thermal features on the underlying surface have horizontal scalesexceeding 10 km. MTIBL detection is facilitated through the use of special parameterslinking shear stress and convective motion.

The turbulent structure of the CBL with and without MTIBLs was scaled usingthe mosaic or flux aggregate approach. A non-dimensional parameterLRau/Lhetero (where LRau is Raupach's length and Lhetero is the horizontal scale of the surface heterogeneity)estimates the application limit of similarity and local similarity scaling models forthe mosaic parts over the surface. Normalized vertical profiles of wind speed, airtemperature, turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes for the mosaic parts withLRauLhetero < 1 could be estimated by typical scalingcurves for the homogeneous CBL. Traditional similarity scaling models for the CBLcould not be applied for the mosaic parts with LRau/Lhetero > 1.

For some horizontally non-homogeneous CBLs, horizontal sensible heat fluxes werecomparable with the vertical fluxes. The largest horizontal sensible heat fluxes occurred at the top of the surface layer and below the top of the CBL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Aerological Observatory, 3 Pervomayskaya St., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia

    Michail A. Strunin

  2. Hydrospheric Atmospheric Research Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Tetsuya Hiyama

  3. Terrestrial Environment Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan

    Jun Asanuma

  4. Japan

    Tetsuo Ohata

Authors
  1. Michail A. Strunin
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  2. Tetsuya Hiyama
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  3. Jun Asanuma
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  4. Tetsuo Ohata
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Formerly affiliated to the Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change

Formerly affiliated to the Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change

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Strunin, M.A., Hiyama, T., Asanuma, J. et al. Aircraft Observations of the Development of Thermal Internal Boundary Layers and Scaling of the Convective Boundary Layer Over Non-Homogeneous Land Surfaces. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 111, 491–522 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BOUN.0000016542.72958.e9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BOUN.0000016542.72958.e9

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