Thermal Structure of a Coastal–Urban Boundary Layer

Abstract

We use various temperature profilers located in and around New York City to observe the structure and evolution of the thermal boundary layer. The primary focus is to highlight the spatial variability of potential-temperature profiles due to heterogeneous surface forcing in an urban environment during different flow conditions. Overall, the observations during the summer period reveal the presence of thermal internal boundary layers due to the interaction between the marine atmospheric boundary layer and the convective urban environment. The summer daytime potential-temperature profiles within the city indicate a superadiabatic layer is present near the surface beneath a mildly stable layer. Large spatial variability in the near-surface (0–300 m) potential temperature is detected, with the thermal profile in the lower atmosphere uniquely determined by the underlying surface forcing and the distance from the coast. The summer and winter average night-time potential-temperature profiles show that the atmosphere is still convective near the surface. The seasonal averages of mixing ratio show large variability in the vertical direction.