Abstract
Measurements of the mean and turbulent structure of the planetary boundary layer using a sodar and a sonic anemometer, and radiative measurements using a radiometer, were carried out in the summer of 1999–2000 at the Antarctic plateau station of Dome C during a two-month period. At Dome C strong ground-based inversions dominate for most of the year. However, in spite of the low surface temperatures (between −50 and −20 °C), and the surface always covered by snow and ice, a regular daytime boundary-layer evolution, similar to that observed at mid-latitudes, was observed during summertime. The mixed-layer height generally reaches 200–300 m at 1300–1400 LST in high summer (late December, early January); late in the summer (end of January to February), as the solar elevation decreases, it reduces to 100–200 m. A comparison between the mixed-layer height estimated from sodar measurements and that calculated using a mixed-layer growth model shows a rather satisfactory agreement if we assign a value of 0.01–0.02 m s−1 to the subsidence velocity at the top of the mixed layer, and a value of 0.003–0.004 K m−1 to the potential temperature gradient above the mixed layer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allison I. (1985). ‘Diurnal Variability of Surface Wind and Air Temperature at an Inland Antarctic Site: 2 Years of AWS Data’. In: Jacka T.H. (ed). Australian Glaciological Research, 1982–1983, Research Notes, 28, pp. 81–92
Argentini S., Dargaud G., Mastrantonio G., Sempreviva A.M., Viola A. (2000). ‘Study of the Onset and Evolution of the Convective Boundary Layer Observed at the Antarctic Plateau Station of Dome C Using a Mid-Latitude Mixing-Height Model’. In: Bradley S. (ed). Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Acoustic Remote Sensing and Associated Techniques of the Atmosphere and Oceans. Auckland, New Zealand, pp. 172–175
Argentini S., Mastrantonio G., Viola A., Nardino M., Petenko I.V., Sempreviva A.M. (2003) ‘PBL Height Behaviour at the Plateau Site of Dome C, Antarctica: Sodar Observations and Numerical Estimates’, in M. Colacino (ed.), Proceedings of the 9th Workshop Italian Research on Antartic Atmosphere, Rome, Italy, vol. 80, pp. 13–26
F.K. Ball (1960) Winds on the Ice Slopes of Antarctica Antarctic Meteorology, Proceedings of the Symposium in Melbourne. Pergamon Press NY 9–16
E Batchvarova S.E. Gryning (1991) ArticleTitleApplied Model for the Growth of the Daytime Mixed Layer Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 56 261–274
E Batchvarova S.E. Gryning (1994) ArticleTitleAn Applied Model for the Height of the Daytime Mixed Layer and the Entrainment Zone Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 71 311–323
E. Batchvarova S.E Gryning C. Hasager Bay (2001) ArticleTitleRegional Fluxes of Momentum and Sensible Heat over a Sub-Arctic Landscape During Late Winter Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 99 489–507
F. Beyrich (1992) ArticleTitleDiscussion on Sodar Estimates of Surface Heat Flux and Mixed Layer Depth Compared with Direct Measurements Atmos. Environ. 26A 2459–2461
F. Beyrich (1995) ArticleTitleMixing-Height Estimation in the Convective Boundary Layer Using Sodar Data Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 74 1–18
E.H Brown F.F. Hall SuffixJr. (1979) ArticleTitleAdvances in Atmospheric Acoustics Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 16 47–101
J.J. Carroll (1982) ArticleTitleLong-Term Means and Short-Term Variability of the Surface Energy Balance Components at the South Pole J. Geophys. Res. 87 4277–4286
W.M. Connelly (1996) ArticleTitleThe Antarctic Temperature Inversion Int. J. Climatol. 16 1333–1342
F. Defant (1951) Local Winds in Compendium of Meteorology American Meteorological Society Boston. 655–672
T. Georgiadis S. Argentini G. Mastrantonio A. Viola R Sozzi M. Nardino (2002) ArticleTitleBoundary Layer Convective-Like Activity at Dome Concordia, Antarctica’ Il Nuovo Cimento 25C 425–431
S.E Gryning E. Batchvarova (1999) ArticleTitleRegional Heat Flux over the NOPEX Area Estimated from the Evolution of the Mixed-Layer Agric. Forest Meteorol. 98-99 159–167
J.C King J. Turner (1997) Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology. Cambridge Atmospheric and Space Sciences Series Cambridge University Press UK 409
Mastrantonio G., Argentini S. (1997). ‘A Modular PC-Based Multiband Sodar System’. In: Singal S.P. (ed). Acoustic Remote Sensing Applications. Narosa Publishing House, pp. 105–116
G. Mastrantonio V. Malvestuto S. Argentini T Georgiadis A. Viola (1999) ArticleTitleEvidence of the Convective Boundary Layer Developing on the Antarctic Plateau During the Summer Meteorol. Atmos. Phys. 71 127–132
D. Melas (1993) ArticleTitleSimilarity Methods to Derive Turbulence Quantities and Mixed Layer Depth from Sodar Measurements in the Convective Boundary Layer: A Review. Appl. Phys. B B 57 11–17
W. Schwerdfeger (1984) Weather and Climate of the Antarctic Elsevier Science New York 261
A.M. Sempreviva A. Lavagnini (1996) Turbulence Measurements at Hells Gate, Terra Nova Bay M. Colacino G. Giovannelli L. Stefanutti (Eds) Proceedings of the 6th Workshop of the Italian Research on Antarctic Atmosphere. Florence Italy 63–74
A.M Sempreviva S.E. Gryning (2000) ArticleTitleThe Mixing Height over Water and Its Role on the Correlation Between Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations in the Marine Surface Layer Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 97 273–291
R Sozzi M. Favaron (1996) ArticleTitleSonic Anemometry and Thermometry: Theoretical Basis and Data-Processing Software Elsevier Science Ltd. 11 259–270
C.R. Stearns L. Keller G. Wendler G.A Weidner M. Silvers (1993) Monthly Mean Climatic Data for Antarctic Automatic Weather Stations D.H. Bromwich C.R. Stearns (Eds) Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology: Studies Based on Automatic Weather Station AGU Washington, DC 1–21
R.B. Stull (1988) An Introduction to Boundary-Layer Meteorology Kluwer Academic Publishers The Netherlands 666
G. Wendler N Ishikawa Y. Kodama (1988) ArticleTitleThe Heat Balance of the Icy Slope of Adelie Land, Eastern Antarctica J. Appl. Meteorol. 27 52–65
G. Wendler J.C. Andre P. Pettre J. Gosnik T.R. Parish (1993) Katabatic Winds in Adélie Coast D.H. Bromwich C.R. Stearns (Eds) Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology Studies Based on Automatic Weather Station AGU Washington, DC vol. 61 23–46
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Argentini, S., Viola, A., Sempreviva, A.M. et al. Summer boundary-layer height at the plateau site of Dome’C, antarctica. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 115, 409–422 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-004-5643-6
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-004-5643-6