Aircraft observations of the atmospheric boundary layer over a heterogeneous surface in eastern Siberia

Abstract

This paper outlines specifications and gives preliminary results of aircraft observations made during the Intensive Observation Period in 2000 (IOP2000) over the Yakutsk area of eastern Siberia. The observations were part of the GAME-Siberia project. Spatial and seasonal variation in the fluxes of sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide were determined using a Russian aircraft equipped with turbulence sensors. Two flight paths covered 12 × 32 km2 grids over heterogeneous forest and grass surfaces on the left- and right-hand banks of the Lena River. The spatial flux distributions were consistent with the underlying vegetation cover. A video camera recorded aerial images of the land, while a spectrometer observed the spectral reflectance of the land surface. These data helped describe the relationship between the atmosphere and the land surface. The vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) was also observed on long flight paths between the left and right banks of the Lena River. Thermally induced internal boundary layers (TIBLs) developed in the ABL under different thermal and dynamic conditions near the Lena River. The horizontal and vertical distributions of sensible and latent heats in the ABL were consistent with the generation of cumulus, which appeared over the forested area, but not over the Lena River lowland. © 2003 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.