Comparison of Estimated Planetary Boundary Layer Height over North Africa Using Three Different Methods

Authors

  • Mahmoud F. Abdel-Sattar  Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, Al- Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
  • Fathy M. El-Hussainy  Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, Al- Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Keywords:

Planetary Boundary Layer height, Potential Temperature, WRF Model, Weather Forecast

Abstract

Planetary boundary layer (PBL) height is an essential parameter in atmospheric modeling due to its ability to impact on energy, water vapor, and pollution in the atmosphere. Estimation of PBL height is not easily available and often come from radiosonde observations at 0000GMT and 1200 GMT. In this paper PBL height is computed by three methods at afternoon over Egypt and Sahara Desert. The first method is based on bulk Richardson number, while the second method depends on the existence of the Inversion Layer. The third method is based on a simplified turbulent kinetic energy equation and accounts for the temperature difference across the top of the mixed layer. The results of PBL height by the three methods are compared with those corresponding of The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis from ECMWF. The comparisons illustrate that the estimated PBL height are differ by some hundreds of meters. The simulations with the first and third methods give much less PBL heights than the second method. Finally, the variation of PBL heights estimates are discussed for each method.

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International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

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Published

2017-02-28

Issue

Volume 3, Issue 1, January-February-2017

Section

Research Articles

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How to Cite

[1]
Mahmoud F. Abdel-Sattar, Fathy M. El-Hussainy "Comparison of Estimated Planetary Boundary Layer Height over North Africa Using Three Different Methods" International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (IJSRSET), Print ISSN : 2395-1990, Online ISSN : 2394-4099, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp.262-268 , January-February-2017.