Diagnostic determination of boundary-layer cumulus clouds using HAPEX aircraft data
Boundary-layer cumulus clouds play an important role in surface energy budget via the interaction between clouds and radiation. In turn the formation and evolution of these clouds are dependent upon the boundary layer turbulence structure. In this study, HAPEX aircraft sounding and near-surface horizontal flight-leg data are used to calculate the distributions of the mixed-layer height (Z[sub i]), the lifting condensation level (LCL), the level of free convection (LFC), and the limit of convection level (LOC). The joint distributions of LCL and Z[sub i], and LCL and near-surface virtual potential temperature [theta][sub v] are used to diagnose boundary-layer cumulus-cloud coverage, which then are compared with HAPEX airborne cloud observations.
- Research Organization:
- Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-92ER61361
- OSTI ID:
- 6919936
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9209158-7; ON: DE93002164
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 10. symposium on turbulence and diffusion, Portland, OR (United States), 29 Sep - 2 Oct 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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