edu.ucar.opensky::articles:14246 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-26T03:24:12.136723 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7b8593z https://doi.org/10.5065/D6BK19NH https Related Dataset #1 TOGA COARE soundings derived from NCAR Electra flight level data https://doi.org https Related Dataset #2 Aircraft Long-EZ Data 1Hz & 50Hz https://doi.org https Related Dataset #3 Aircraft Data Wyoming King Air 25Hz Determining boundary-layer height from aircraft measurements 2014-09-01T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7b8593z https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-014-9929-z Dai, C. author Wang, Q. author Kalogiros, J. author Lenschow, Donald H. author Gao, Z. author Zhou, M. author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher The height of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is an important variable in both observational studies and model simulations. The most commonly used measurement for obtaining ABL height is a rawinsonde profile. Mesoscale or regional scale models use a bulk Richardson number based on profiles of the forecast variables. Here we evaluate the limitations of several frequently-used approaches for defining ABL height from a single profile, and identify the optimal threshold value for each method if profiles are the only available measurements. Aircraft measurements from five field projects are used, representing a variety of ABL conditions including stable, convective, and cloud-topped boundary layers over different underlying surfaces. ABL heights detected from these methods were validated against the 'true' value determined from aircraft soundings, where ABL height is defined as the top of the layer with significant turbulence. A detection rate was defined to denote how often the ABL height was correctly diagnosed with a particular method. The results suggest that the temperature gradient method provides the most reasonable estimates, although the detection rate and suitable detection criteria vary for different types of ABL. The Richardson number method, on the other hand, is in most cases inadequate or inferior to the other methods that were tried. The optimal range of the detection criteria is given for all ABL types examined in this study. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright 2014 Springer. None eng geoscientificInformation