Identification

Title

Validation of Goddard Earth Observing System-version 5 MERRA planetary boundary layer heights using CALIPSO

Abstract

This study compares the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height produced by the Goddard Earth Observing System-version 5 (GEOS-5) model with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). Part of GEOS-5 is an Atmosphere Global Circulation Model (GCM) used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Model developers are uncertain of the precision of model PBL height predictions since verification by direct observations of the PBL height is sparse. Validation of the PBL height serves as a diagnostic on whether the physics and dynamics packages are correct in the model. In this work, we report the global daytime PBL heights derived from dissertation work by Jordan (2009). We believe that this is the first large-scale observational study of PBL heights using CALIPSO. In this paper, we compare CALIPSO PBL heights to matched PBL heights from the GEOS-5 Modern Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) model. Extensive comparisons between the model output and satellite observations in the Western Hemisphere and over Africa gave model-measurement correlation coefficients (R) of 0.47–0.73. Comparisons have been performed for regions over land and water using clouds, aerosols, and mixed cloud-aerosol features to detect the PBL. The present study provides insight of regional PBL height variances in the GEOS-5 model. For much of the study region GEOS-5 predicts PBL heights within 25% of CALIPSO observations. A case over the Equatorial Pacific indicates that the GEOS-5/CALIPSO PBL height ratios exceed 1.25. PBL height biases in the Equatorial Pacific may be related to the GCM coupling scheme implemented in GEOS-5. Also, in some regions, the CALIPSO PBL heights are generally higher than the GEOS-5 model.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7cv4j8w

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2010-12-31T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact