Abstract
This research reports the global atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH, which is also known as the planetary boundary layer, PBLH) features estimated using COSMIC radio occultation (RO) retrieved temperature profiles during March, April, and May in 2015. Important analytical techniques including the vertical gradient and logarithmic gradient methods applied effectively on temperature profiles have revealed a few interesting features. Mainly, west coasts of the majority of the continents are associated with relatively lower magnitudes during the daytime hours, first of its kind observations reported using a space-based remote sensing technique. Secondly, over landmasses and desert areas, ABLHs show relatively higher magnitudes during the daytime hours, due to higher sensible heat flux. Thirdly, the cold land areas show relatively lower ABLHs, whereas cold oceans depict moderately higher values. In order to explain relatively low marine ABL (MABL) heights over the west coasts of the continents, we present a schematic diagram which includes various possible physical mechanisms that might be responsible for these extremely low MABL heights. This research emphasizes that the COSMIC RO is a powerful global technique, which is able to unravel the link between ocean and the Earth’s lower atmospheric dynamics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R B Stull An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology (Kluwer Academic Publishers Germany) (1988)
A K Betts and J H Ball J Geophy. Res.99 2 (1994)
S A Margulis and D Entekhabi Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 110 3 (2004)
F J Wentz, T Meissner, J Scott and K A Hilburn Remote Sensing Systems Santa Rosa CA (2015)
R L Coulter J. Appl. Meteorol.18 1495 (1979)
A Arakawa and W H Schubert J. Atmos. Sci.31 674 (1974)
M J Suarez, A Arakawa and D A Randall Mon. Weather Rev.111 2224 (1983)
M L Wesely, D R Cook, R L Hart and R E Speer J. Geophys. Res.90 2131 (1985)
B Stevens Q. J. R. Meteorolog. Scc.128 2663 (2002)
C S Konor, G C Boezio, C R Mechoso and A Arakawa Mon. Weather Rev.137 1061 (2009)
J R Garratt Cambridge University Press, 315 (1994)
S-J Lee, J Lee, S J Greybush, M Kang, and J Kim Advances in Meteorology, 2013 381630 (2013)
S-J Lee, J Kim and C-H Cho Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 186 5 (2014)
J H Marsham, D J Parker, C M Grams, B T Johnson, W M F Grey and A N Ross, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 8 23 (2008)
M Gamo, Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 79 3 (1996)
Q He and A Mamtimin Arid Meteorology25 2 (2007)
P Seibert, F Beyrich, S Gryning, S Joffre, A Rasmussen, P. Tercier, Atmospheric Environment, 34 7 (2000)
S A Cohn and W M Angevine, J. Appl. Meteor. 39, 1233 (2000)
A Molod, H Salmun M Dempsey, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.32 (2015)
F Beyrich Atmospheric Environment, 31 3941 (1997)
G Martucci, C Milroy and C D O’Dowd, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 27 305 (2010)
C-Z F Cheng, Y-H Kuo, R A Anthes and L Wu, Eos Trans. AGU, 87 17 (2006)
Brahmanandam P S, Chu YH, and Liu J Terr. Atmos. Oceanic Sci. 21(5) 829 (2010)
Anisetty, P Rao, P S Brahmanandam, G Uma and others J. Meteor. Res., 28(2) 281 (2014)
G Uma, P S Brahmanandam, Y H Chu, Advances in Space Research,57 12 (2016)
C O Ao, T K Chan, B A Iijima, J -L Li, A J Mannucci, J Teixeira, B. Tian and D E Waliser, Proc. of the ECMWF GRAS SAF Workshop on Applications of GPS Radio Occultation Measurements, 16–18 June 2008, Reading, UK, 123 (2008)
G Basha and M V Ratnam, J. Geophys. Res., 114 D16101 (2009)
S C Sokolovskiy, R D Hunt, W Schreiner, J Johnson, D Masters and S. Esterhuizen, Geophys. Res. Lett.33, L14816
D J Seidel, C O Ao and K Li (2010), J. Geophys. Res., 115 D16113 (2010)
X Y Wang and K C Wang, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 7 6 (2014)
S Emeis, Schafer K and C. Munkel, Meteorol. Z., 17 5 (2008)
T R Parish Mon. Wea. Rev., 144, 2963 (2016)
Naveen et al., Ind. J. Sci. Techno., 11 31 (2018)
B Stevens, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 33 1 (2005)
B Medeiro, A Hall J Scott and K A Hilbum Remote Sensing Systems Santa Roas, CA (2015)
C H Tijm-Reijmer, Utrecht Summer School on Physics of the Climate system, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 1–30 (2016)
A von Engeln and J Teixeira, Journal of Climate, 26 (2013)
S J Fan, Q Fan, W Yu, X Y Luo, B M Wang, L L Song, K L Leong, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11 (2011)
D P Dee, S M Uppala, A J Simmons, Quarterly Journal of Royal Meteorological Society, 137 (2011)
X Chen, J A Añel, Z Su Z, L de la Torre, H Kelder H, PLOS ONE, 8 2 (2013)
C O Ao, G A Hajj, T K Meehan, D Dong, B A Iijima, A J Mannucci and E R Kursinski, J. Geophys. Res., 114 D04101 (2009)
C O Ao, D E Waliser, S K Chan, J–L Li, B Tian, F Xie, A J Mannucci, J. Geophys. Res., 117 D16117 (2012)
Acknowledgements
The corresponding author, Dr. P. S. Brahmanandam, gratefully acknowledges the Management of SVECW (Autonomous), Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, India, for their logistic support, without which it would not have been possible to publish this important research work. The COSMIC RO temperature data are archived from the COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center (CDAAC).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brahmanandam, P.S., Kumar, V.N., Kumar, G.A. et al. A few important features of global atmospheric boundary layer heights estimated using COSMIC radio occultation retrieved data. Indian J Phys 94, 555–563 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12648-019-01514-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12648-019-01514-7
Keywords
- COSMIC radio occultation technique
- Analytical techniques
- Atmospheric boundary layers
- Convective
- Marine boundary layer