ABL testbed
Atmospheric boundary layer heights derived from ground-based remote sensing
ABL Testbed project overview
The dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) form in response to synoptic flow and energy exchanges with the Earth’s surface. The height of the ABL defines the volume of air in which moisture and pollutants are diluted and is hence an important variable for a wide range of applications, including air quality, numerical weather prediction, greenhouse gas assessment and renewable energy resource prediction, amongst others. However, quantitative knowledge on its temporal and spatial variability is still scarce.
Thanks to recent advances in ground-based remote sensing measurement technology and algorithm development (Kotthaus et al. 2023), continuous profiling of the entire ABL vertical extent at high temporal and vertical resolution is now increasingly possible. The ABL testbed project is demonstrating how harmonised instrument operations and automatic data processing procedures can be applied across a diverse sensor network to effectively monitor the spatial and temporal evolution of the ABL continuously.