Tyler Bell- March 8- Boundary Layer, Urban Meteorology, and Land-Surface Processes

In recent years, increased attention has turned to studying the planetary boundary layer (PBL) as advanced instruments have become more affordable. Commercial availability of scanning Doppler lidars and the recent widespread availability of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) has opened up a world of opportunity to observe and study the complex processes that occur in the PBL. These two paradigms (remote sensing and UAS), have the potential to revolutionize boundary layer observations.

Start

March 8, 2019 - 2:00 pm

End

March 8, 2019 - 3:00 pm

Address

120 David L Boren Blvd, Norman, OK 73072   View map
Name:     Tyler Bell
Title:    Confronting the Boundary Layer Data Gap: Evaluating New and Existing Methodologies of Probing the Lower Atmosphere
Location: NWC 5600
Date:     2019/03/8
Time:     2:00 PM
Series:   Boundary Layer, Urban Meteorology, and Land-Surface Processes
Abstract: In recent years, increased attention has turned to studying the planetary boundary layer (PBL) as advanced instruments have become more affordable. Commercial availability of scanning Doppler lidars and the recent widespread availability of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) has opened up a world of opportunity to observe and study the complex processes that occur in the PBL. These two paradigms (remote sensing and UAS), have the potential to revolutionize boundary layer observations.
However, each paradigm has pros and cons that need to be characterized before they are ready for widespread adoption. Recent field campaigns have provided a unique opportunity to compare measurements from remote sensing, UAS, and traditional radiosondes in a variety of environments. During July 14-21, 2018, the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation – a Remotely-piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) field campaign took place in the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado. During this campaign, the University of Oklahoma deployed state-of-the-art weather observing rotary-wing UAS and the Collaborative Lower Atmospheric Mobile profiling System (CLAMPS) to study convective initiation, morning PBL transitions, and drainage flows from the surrounding mountain ranges. Additionally, CLAMPS and UAS have been co-located multiple times at the Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Field Station (KAEFS).
This talk will utilize data from radiosondes, CLAMPS, and rotary-wing UAS to discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of each paradigm through intercomparisons between the data.