Low-level mixing height detection in coastal locations with a scanning Doppler lidar

Vakkari, V., O'Connor, E. J., Nisantzi, A., Mamouri, R. E. and Hadjimitsis, D. G. (2015) Low-level mixing height detection in coastal locations with a scanning Doppler lidar. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 8 (4). pp. 1875-1885. ISSN 1867-8548 doi: 10.5194/amt-8-1875-2015

Abstract/Summary

Mixing layer height (MLH) is one of the key parameters in describing lower tropospheric dynamics and capturing its diurnal variability is crucial, especially for interpreting surface observations. In this paper we introduce a method for identifying MLH below the minimum range of a scanning Doppler lidar when operated at vertical. The method we propose is based on velocity variance in low-elevation-angle conical scanning and is applied to measurements in two very different coastal environments: Limassol, Cyprus, during summer and Loviisa, Finland, during winter. At both locations, the new method agrees well with MLH derived from turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate profiles obtained from vertically pointing measurements. The low-level scanning routine frequently indicated non-zero MLH less than 100 m above the surface. Such low MLHs were more common in wintertime Loviisa on the Baltic Sea coast than during summertime in Mediterranean Limassol.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/40115
Identification Number/DOI	10.5194/amt-8-1875-2015
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher	Copernicus
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