High-Resolution Properties of the Equatorial Pacific Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer from Lidar and Radiosonde Observations

Abstract

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Initial investigations of microscale cellular convection in an equatorial marine atmospheric boundary layer revealed by lidar

“…Cellular convection has been characterized from satellite observations of clouds in the equatorial region (Agee, 1984), and to a limited degree over land using aircraft time-series data (Williams and Hacker, 1993 Many one dimensional properties of convection and massenergy transport within the MABL have been analyzed with the available observational tools for over 50 years. A large body of literature indicates that thermally-induced coherent plumes are responsible for much of the water vapor transport from the sea surface to the free atmosphere (Stull, 1988 Prex)ious work showed that the topography of the surface and mixed layers is formed in-part by discrete plume features (Cooper et a1.1992;1996), presumably rising as they are moisture rich in comparison with the surrounding air. Assuming that a convective instability is analogous to RBC, and is driving these plumes, it might be expected that cellular patterns form because of the asymmetry in boundary conditions for the surface layer where the ocean forms a semi-rigid bottom and the upper boundary is quasifree.…”

Probing near-surface atmospheric turbulence with lidar measurements and high-resolution hydrodynamic models

“…CEPEX was part of an internationrd climate research effort to address the "thermostat hypothesis} a feedback mechanism between water vapor and ocean sea surface temperature purported to [imit global warming @amanathan and Collins, 1991). Our Iidar resufts during CEPEX show the agreement w"ththe coincident radiosonde water-vapor data within 0.25 #kg (Cooper et al, 1996). The CSP project (Post et al, 1997) employed a whole suite of meteorological sensors to quantifi processes associated with ocean-atmosphere interactions in the tropics, and to help understand the small-scale processes in the ocean-atmosphere exchange of water and heat.…”

The land below the wind: Doppler LiDAR observations from the tropical rain forest of Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

“…Above this level no systematic change in size of the structures with height is found (Kunkel et al, 1977). LiDAR is able to resolve individual convective plumes and their variation (Kunkel et al, 1977;Cooper et al, 1996). At the top of the convective layer there is usually a relatively warm, dry layer of air.…”