Study of radiative and turbulent processes in the stable boundary layer under weak wind conditions

Abstract

The role of radiation and turbulence was studied in a weak wind nocturnal inversion layer using a one-dimensional model. In contrast to a strong wind stable boundary layer where cooling within the surface inversion layer is dominated by turbulence, radiative cooling becomes larger than turbulent cooling under weak wind conditions. Further, the surface inversion layer was found to grow all through the night under weak wind conditions, whereas it attained a near equilibrium in the case of strong wind.