Lidar Descriptions of Mixing-Layer Thickness Characteristics in a Complex Terrain/Coastal Environment

Airborne lidar and supplementary measurements made during a major study of air chemistry in southern California (SCCCAMP 1985) provided a rare opportunity to examine atmospheric boundary-layer structure in a coastal area with complex terrain. This structure results from a combination of daytime heating or convection in the boundary layer (CBL), the intrusion of a marine layer into the inland areas, the thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) formed within the marine onshore flow, inland growth of the TIBL, interactions of the CBL and the TIBL, and airflow interactions with terrain features. Measurements showed offshore mixing-layer thicknesses during SCCCAMP to be quite uniform spatially and day to day at 100–200 m. Movement of this layer onshore occurred readily with terrain that sloped gradually upward (e.g., to 300 m MSL at 50 km inland), but was effectively blocked by a 400–500 m high coastal ridge. In the higher terrain beyond the coastal ridge, aerosol layers aloft were often created as a result of deep convection and of a combination of onshore flow and heated, upslope airflow activity. Such aerosol layers can extend far offshore when embedded in reverse circulations aloft. The forward boundary of the marine layer was quite sharp, resembling a miniature cold front. Within the marine layer the onshore flow initiates a TIBL at the coastline, which increases in depth with distance inland due to roughness and convective influences. A coherent marine layer with imbedded TIBL was maintained for inland distances of 20–50 km, depending on terrain. Intense heating occurred inland prior to the arrival and undercutting by the marine front. The resulting, effective mixing layer increased in thickness from a few hundred meters to nearly two kilometers in a very short distance. Comparisons of a representative, physically based TIBL and convective mixing-layer models with observed data indicate that they generally do a credible job of estimating the depth of the marine layer and the CBL when applied appropriately as a function of geographical location and physical situation. Empirical TIBL models usually did not perform as well as physically based models.