A study of the variation of urban mixed layer heights

The AERMET model is used to estimate hourly mixing heights during the Joint URBAN (2003) experiment in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. AERMET is a simple 2-D model that requires only routine meteorological observations and an early morning atmospheric sounding to estimate convective boundary layer (CBL) growth. Estimated mixing heights are compared with observed mixing heights measured during Joint URBAN 2003. Observed CBL heights are derived from profiler data using a peak signal-to-noise ratio method. The method of deriving mixing heights from profiler data is validated using daily atmospheric sounding data. Estimated mixing heights using AERMET show good agreement with observations on days of varying temperature and cloud cover. AERMET was able to estimate the rapid boundary layer growth observed in the late morning and early afternoon hours during highly convective conditions. CBL heights of over 3000 m are observed in sounding data during the late afternoon. Estimated CBL heights of over 3000 m during the late afternoon agreed well with observations from the sounding and profiler data.