Impacts of the Westerlies on Planetary Boundary Layer Growth Over a Valley on the North Side of the Central Himalayas

This study focused on planetary boundary layer (PBL) growth in winter under the influence of the westerlies over the Rongbuk Valley on the north side of the central Himalayas. Two sunny November days in 2014 with different synoptic conditions in terms of large-scale wind direction and speed were selected to investigate the ways in which large-scale synoptic forcing affected the vertical structure of the PBL, atmospheric stability, surface wind field, and land surface energy fluxes. This was done by using radiosonde and in-situ measurements, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA5 reanalysis data set, and a one-dimensional model. The results revealed that the valley winds and PBL growth were strongly influenced by the variations of the westerlies, which prevail in this region during the winter. When the synoptic wind direction at the height of the mountain ridges was parallel to the axis of the valley and strong, the downward transmission of the westerlies to the valley floor (DTWTV) was strong, causing high near-surface wind speeds and sensible heat flux values. These conditions, together with a deep residual layer, unstable atmosphere, and thermally driven local wind, produced an extremely deep PBL (9 km above sea level) in the early afternoon of November 23. When the synoptic wind direction at the ridge height intersected the axis of the valley and was weak, the DTWTV was weak, and the PBL became relatively low on November 28. These results demonstrate that the interaction between the topography and synoptic circulation plays a critical role in PBL growth.

Automated summary

The study focused on the growth of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in the Rongbuk Valley under the influence of the westerlies. Results showed that valley winds and PBL growth were strongly influenced by variations in the westerlies, with different synoptic conditions leading to deep or shallow PBL development. This highlights the critical role of topography and synoptic circulation in PBL growth.