Characterization of the atmospheric boundary layer from radiosonde observations along eastern end of monsoon trough of india

Abstract

In this paper, a comparison of two methods for the calculation of the height of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), using balloon-borne GPS radiosonde data is presented. ABL has been characterized using vertical profiles of meteorological parameter. The gradient of virtual potential temperature (θv) profile for the determination of mixed layer heights (MLH) and the mean value of turbulent flow depth (TFD) obtained from the vertical profile of Bulk Richardson Number (RiB) have been used in this study. Oneyear data have been used for the study. There is large seasonal variability in MLH with a peak in the summer and winter whereas the TFD remained steady throughout the year. Results from the present study indicate that the magnitudes of TFD are often larger than the MLH.