Mean-Field and Second-Moment Budgets in a Baroclinic, Convective Boundary Layer

Abstract

Terms in the budgets of turbulence kinetic energy, temperature and humidity variances, and temperature and humidity fluxes have been evaluated for a baroclinic, convective boundary layer using data obtained from the NCAR Electra aircraft during the Air Mass Transformation Experiment (AMTEX). Although the mean temperature and momentum budgets, which were also evaluated, are strongly influenced by the horizontal temperature gradient, the second-moment budgets are little affected. The mean momentum budget is not well balanced, probably due to a combination of neglect of horizontal advection (aircraft advection measurements are shown to be statistically unreliable) and error in the surface geostrophic wind. For the most part, the measured terms in the second-moment budgets agree with previous estimates. Turbulence dissipation, however, was systematically less than that found in previous tower-based experiments. We find that over most of the mixed layer the temperature variance is maintained by turbulent transport and the temperature flux by buoyant production while, in contrast, the humidity variance and flux are maintained primarily by gradient production. Near the top of the mixed layer both temperature and humidity statistics are strongly affected by entrainment processes.