Observations of vertical velocity skewness within the marine stratocumulus-topped boundary layer

Abstract

Profiles of vertical velocity skewness from three turbulence flights are presented here. These three flights were chosen because each represents a distinctly different pattern of vertical velocity skewness. The observations of vertical velocity skewness from each of these flights are compared to the skewness statistics derived from a large-eddy simulation (LES) of a boundary layer whose profile of buoyancy flux is qualitatively similar to that found on the given FIRE flight. Plausible explanations are put forward in an effort to address some of the differences between the FIRE observations of vertical velocity skewness and those predicted by the LES models. -from Authors