The Behavior of the Atmosphere in the Desert Planetary Boundary Layer.
Abstract
A general system of vertically integrated equations, including a dust concentration equation, has been derived. The boundary layer is divided into a constant flux layer, a transition layer, and an inversion layer. A novel feature of the model is the inclusion of equations to predict temperature and moisture lapse rates. The inversion height is also a function of time. A simplified version of the model has been tested with respect to its ability to predict the evolution of the inversion height and of the dust concentration. The results show very reasonable evolutions. The inversion height is lowest in the early morning, reaching a maximum in the late afternoon. The dust concentration near the ground is highest in the early morning, when the air is most stable, and lowest in mid-afternoon, when the atmosphere is least stable. These results, obtained for various particle sizes, are highly dependent upon the form of the mesoscale vertical velocity at the base of the inversion. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA135962
Entities
People
- L. Berkofsky