Atmospheric variables in the convective boundary layer (CBL), which are critical for turbulence parameterizations in weather and climate models, are assessed. These include entrainment fluxes, higher-order moments of humidity, potential temperature, and vertical wind, as well as dissipation rates. Theoretical relationships between the integral scales, gradients, and higher-order moments of atmospheric variables, fluxes, and dissipation rates are developed mainly focusing on the entrainment layer (EL) at the top of the CBL. These equations form the starting point for tests of and new approaches in CBL turbulence parameterizations. For the investigation of these relationships, an observational approach using a synergy of ground-based water vapor, temperature, and wind lidar systems is proposed. These systems measure instantaneous vertical profiles with high temporal and spatial resolution throughout the CBL including the EL. The resolution of these systems permits the simultaneous measurement of gradients and fluctuations of these atmospheric variables. For accurate analyses of the gradients and the shapes of turbulence profiles, the lidar system performances are very important. It is shown that each lidar profile can be characterized very well with respect to bias and system noise and that the constant bias has negligible effect on the measurement of turbulent fluctuations. It is demonstrated how different gradient relationships can be measured and tested with the proposed lidar synergy within operational measurements or new field campaigns. Particularly, a novel approach is introduced for measuring the rate of destruction of humidity and temperature variances, which is an important component of the variance budget equations.
Three gradient-based scaling systems for the stably stratified boundary layer are introduced and examined by using data collected during the SHEBA field programme in the Arctic. The resulting similarity functions for fluxes and variances are expressed in an analytical form, which is expected to be essentially unaffected by self-correlation in a very stable regime. The flux Richardson number Rf is found to be proportional to the Richardson number Ri, with the proportionality coefficient varying slightly with stability, from 1.11 to 1.47. The Prandtl number decreases from 0.9 in nearly neutral conditions to 0.7 for larger values of Ri. The negative correlation coefficient between the vertical velocity and temperature, −r wθ , has a local maximum at Ri of about 0.08, and monotonically decreases with larger values of the Richardson number. The turbulent kinetic energy budget indicates that for Ri > 0.7, turbulence must be non-stationary, i.e. decaying or sporadic. Turbulence within the stably stratified boundary layer can be classified by four regimes: 'nearly neutral' (0 < Ri < 0.02), 'weakly stable' (0.02 < Ri < 0.12), 'very stable' (0.12 < Ri < 0.7), and 'extremely stable' (Ri > 0.7).
A similarity theory for the atmospheric boundary layer is presented. The Monin-Obukhov similarity theory for the surface layer is a particular case of this new theory, for the case of z-0. Universal functions which are in agreement with empirical data are obtained for the stable and convective regimes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.