The extent of the unstable Monin-Obukhov layer for temperature and humidity above complex hilly grassland

Abstract

Potential temperature, specific humidity and wind profiles measured by radiosondes under unstable but windy conditions during FIFE in northeastern Kansas were analyzed within the framework of Monin-Obukhov similarity. Around 86% of these profiles were found to have a height range over which the similarity, formulated in terms of the Businger-Dyer functions, is valid and for which the resulting surface fluxes are in good agreement with independent measurements at ground stations. When scaled with the surface roughness z ₀ = 1.05 m and the displacement height d ₀ = 26.9 m, for the potential temperature this height range was 45 (±31) ⩽ (z − d ₀ )/z ₀ ⩽ 104 (±54) and the comparison of the profile-derived surface fluxes with the independent measurements gave a correlation coefficient of r = 0.96. For the specific humidity these values are 42 (±29) ⩽ (z − d ₀ )/z ₀ ⩽ 96 (±38) and r = 0.94. In terms of the height of the bottom of the inversion H _i , in the morning hours the upper limit of (z − d ₀ ) in the Monin-Obukhov layer is approximately 0.3H _i , whereas for a fully developed ABL it is closer to 0.1H _i . Probably, as a result of the short sampling times and perhaps also of the small gradients under the windy conditions, the exact height range of validity was difficult to establish from a mere inspection of these profiles.