The vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over the central Arctic Ocean

• Published in: Acta oceanologica Sinica 2013-10, Vol.32 (10), p.34-40
• Main Authors: Bian, Lingen, Ma, Yongfeng, Lu, Changgui, Lin, Xiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric boundary layer; Boundary layers; Climate change; Climatology; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Environmental Chemistry; Expeditions; Floating ice; Global positioning systems; GPS; Height; Marine; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; North Pole; Oceanography; Radiosondes; Sea ice; Temperature inversion; Temperature inversions; Thickness; Trends; Tropopause; Troposphere; Vertical profiles; Wind; Wind direction; Wind profiles; 全球定位系统; 北冰洋; 北极科学考察; 垂直结构; 大气边界层; 对流层顶; 无线电探空仪; 边界层高度
• ISSN: 0253-505X; 1869-1099
• DOI: 10.1007/s13131-013-0363-8

The tropopause height and the atmospheric boundarylayer （PBL） height as well as the variation of inversion layer above the floating ice surface are presented using GPS （global position system ） radiosonde sounding data and relevant data obtained by Chinas fourth arctic scientific expedition team over the central Arctic Ocean （86°-88°N, 144°-170°W） during the summer of 2010. The tropopause height is from 9.8 to 10.5 km, with a temperature range between -52.2 and -54.10C in the central Arctic Ocean. Two zones of maximum wind （over 12 m/s） are found in the wind profile, namely, low- and upper-level jets, located in the middle troposphere and the tropopause, respectively. The wind direction has a marked variation point in the two jets from the southeast to the southwest. The average PBL height determined by two methods is 341 and 453 m respectively. These two methods can both be used when the inversion layer is very low, but the results vary significantly when the inversion layer is very high. A significant logarithmic relationship exists between the PBL height and the inversion intensity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.66, indicating that the more intense the temperature inversion is, the lower the boundary layer will be. The observation results obviously differ from those of the third arctic expedition zone （800-85° N）. The PBL height and the inversion layer thickness are much lower than those at 870-88° N, but the inversion temperature is more intense, meaning a strong ice- atmosphere interaction in the sea near the North Pole. The PBL structure is related to the weather system and the sea ice concentration, which affects the observation station.