EOMF-06. Deriving PBL properties with aircraft data and comparing to the HRRR model

Abstract
The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is the lowest part of the earth’s atmosphere, is directly influenced by the earth’s surface below it, and a link to the free atmosphere above it. Relative to the free atmosphere, the PBL is characterized by strong vertical mixing and large fluctuations in wind speed, temperature, and moisture. The PBL height (PBLH) signifies the vertical extent of turbulent mixing, which is critical to many environmental and climate topics such as air pollution, fog, and clouds. However, it is challenging to directly measure atmospheric turbulence, and the PBLH is typically inferred from mean vertical profiles of temperature, humidity, and wind. Data sources such as satellite and radiosondes tend to have limited temporal resolution (most operational radiosondes are launched just twice a day), preventing a robust understanding of the temporal evolution of the PBL. The Aircraft Meteorological Data Reports (AMDAR) provides routine observations of temperature, humidity, and winds both in and above the PBL, with superior temporal and spatial resolution, particularly near major airports. We developed an algorithm to utilize AMDAR data to estimate PBLH under a variety of conditions and compared observed PBL properties to output from the operational High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model, which is a high-resolution (3-km grid spacing) numerical weather prediction model used extensively within the contiguous United States. We implement this algorithm into METexpress, which is a simplified visualization component of the enhanced Model Evaluation Tools (METplus) verification system.