Comparison of Estimated Planetary Boundary Layer Height over North Africa Using Three Different Methods
Keywords:
Planetary Boundary Layer height, Potential Temperature, WRF Model, Weather ForecastAbstract
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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