Decomposition of Boundary-layer Turbulence in HAPEX

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The interaction between surface evaporation/evapotranspiration and atmospheric boundary layer processes constitutes a research area of considerable interest and need for both atmospheric and water management disciplines. For example, the World Climate Research Program emphasizes the urgency of extensive observational work in this area and it is recognized that such information is an important next step in improving climate models. One of the most carefully conducted field programs ever attempted to study surface moisture fluxes in complex terrain, known as the Hydrological and Atmospheric Pilot Experiment (HAPEX), was completed in the Spring and Summer of 1986. The Principal Investigator participated in the planning and execution of this experiment. The field phase of the HAPEX was very successful and the Principal Investigator will continue his analysis of this rich data set. Aircraft and surface-based mesonetwork data will be used to examine the contributions of various physical mechanisms (e.g. free and forced thermals, shear modified convection, cloud controlled turbulence, surface inhomogeneity and local circulation) to boundary layer fluxes. Different contributions to the flux will be related to such factors as the background synoptic conditions and overall atmospheric stability.