Evaluation of the interpretation of ceilometer data with RASS and radiosonde data

KIT – University of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg and National Research Center of the Helmholtz Association

INSTITUTE OF METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE RESEARCH, Atmospheric Environmental Research

www.kit.edu

Evaluation of the interpretation of ceilometer datawith RASS and radiosonde data

Stefan Emeis (KIT), Klaus Schäfer (KIT), Christoph Münkel (Vaisala)stefan.emeis@kit.edu

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

2 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Ceilometers deliver optical backscatter intensities

Optical backscatter intensities are:

• primarily determined by

size and density of aerosol particles

affected by advectionformation and dissolution

• secondarily determined by

atmospheric humidity

evaluation from independent information desirable

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

3 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Emeis, S., 2010: Measurement Methods in Atmospheric Sciences - In situ and remote. Borntraeger, Stuttgart, 272 pp., 103 figs, 28 tables, ISBN 978-3-443-01066-9.

ceilometer

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

4 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Wanted:

independent temperature, wind, and humidity information

temperature RASS, radiometer, Raman lidar, interferometer, radiosonde

wind SODAR, windprofiler, RASS, wind lidar, radiosonde

humidity radiometer, Raman lidar, interferometer, DIAL, radiosonde

Available:

temperature, wind RASS, at the same site as the ceilometer(up to 540 m)

humidity, temperature, radiosonde, about 60 km awaywind (higher layers)

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

5 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

CL 31 ceilometer (Vaisala)

CL 31LD 40

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

6 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

acoustic frequ.: 1500 – 2200 Hzradio frequ.: 474 MHzresolution: 20 mlowestrange gate: ca. 40 m

vertical range: 540 m

SODAR-RASS (Doppler-RASS) (METEK)

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

7 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

ceilometer

optical backscatter intensity

radiosonde profiles

RASS

potential temperature

SODAR (RASS)

acoustic backscatter intensity(temp. fluct./vert. temp. grad.)

comparison to temperature information

CBLSL

RL

fog

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

8 29.06.2010

ceilometer (top), pot. temp. RASS (middle), acoust. backsc. SODAR (bottom)

Feb. 3 Feb. 4 Feb. 5

Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

9 29.06.2010

RASS data Augsburg February 2009

Feb. 3 Feb. 4 Feb. 5

Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data

potential temperature (top), MLH RASS (middle), MLH SODAR/Ceilo (bottom)

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

10 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

ceilometer

optical backscatter intensity

RASS

potential temperature

SODAR (RASS)

horizontal wind speed

comparison to wind information

LLJ > 19 m/s

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

11 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

comparison to moisture information

ceilometer

optical backscatter intensity

radiosonde profiles

RASS

potential temperature

near saturation

first clouds

CBL

SL

RL

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

12 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud over Southern Germany

CBL

ash cloud

ash cloud

water clouds

SL

influence due to advected particles

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

13 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Conclusions

- Ceilometers have become a frequent (and rather cheap) tool to monitor cloud heights, mixing-layer heights and boundary-layer structure

- if aerosol particle distribution adapts rapidly to the thermal structure of the PBL, ceilometers are a good tool to observe this structure

- advection of aerosols may play a decisive role, it is dangerous to interpret ceilometer measurements just locally

- particle size spectrum influences ceilometer data in a non-quantifiable way

- atmospheric humidity influences ceilometer data in a non-quantifiable way

automated evaluation algorithms for ceilometer data have to be developed with great care

the combined operation of a ceilometer with a RASS is an option for PBL research

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

14 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010

Thank you very

much for your

attention

www.imk-ifu.kit.edu

Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research

15 Emeis/Schäfer/Münkel - Evaluation of ceilometer data29.06.2010