Fall SCM/NBL IOP in Support of CASES-99

1 October 1999 - 31 October 1999

Lead Scientist: Richard Coulter

Observatory: sgp, sgp

The Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study (CASES) conducted an intensive nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) experiment from October 1 to 30, 1999, at the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) facility near Wichita, Kansas. Radiosondes that were to be deployed during the former Fall SCM IOP were used to support the CASE S-99 effort. The radiosondes were deployed at 6 p.m., 9 p.m., midnight, 3 a.m., and 6 a.m. at the central facility and at the Hillsboro and Morris boundary facilities. Also, the radar wind profiler operation was modified to compliment the array from ABLE and CASES99 (e.g., 3-axis-only operation, no RASS, and 30-min averaged winds). The study was quite successful with 12 intensive periods and many additional nights with excellent conditions.

Since the nighttime boundary layer conditions drive the low-level wind maxima and other features of the nighttime lower troposphere, the CASES-99 data will benefit ARM Science Team members. The additional soundings by ARM will help broaden the scales from the finer CASES-99 nocturnal boundary layer results to the larger ARM scales of interest.

Scientific hypothesis: Nocturnal boundary layer interactions and development are important in the subsequent development of the planetary boundary layer during daytime, particularly the development of the well-mixed layer and the capping inversion. These quantities are critical elements in the atmospheric integration of heterogeneous surface effects and subsequent development of clouds, for example.

Approach to test hypothesis: A large array of instrumentation will be in place in the ABLE study region in south central Kansas. Details can be found at www.colorado-research.com/cases/CASES-99.html

Timeline

2006

Klazura GE, DR Cook, RL Coulter, RL Hart, DJ Holdridge, BM Lesht, JD Lucas, TJ Martin, MS Pekour, and ML Wesley. 2006. "Atmospheric Boundary Layer Measurements in South-Central Kansas, 1997–2004." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 87(10), 10.1175/bams-87-10-1319.


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Campaign Data Sets

IOP Participant Data Source Name Final Data
Richard Cederwall Sondes Order Data