Comparisons of PBL heights derived from CALIPSO and ECMWF reanalysis data over China

Planetary boundary layer (PBL) height was estimated using the maximum standard deviation method for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) attenuated backscatter observations. It was only retrieved under conditions where the clouds accounted for less than 5% in a profile, where it could be compared with ground lidar results at SACOL The correlation between CALIPSO and the ground lidar was 0.73. We present the seasonal mean patterns of 4-year mid-day PBL heights over China and use them to evaluate the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) PBL depth retrievals, inform boundary layer studies, and improve our understanding of how PBL height mediates exchanges of energy and pollutants between the surface and the atmosphere. We found that the largest PBL heights occurred over the Tibetan Plateau and coastal areas. The smallest PBL heights appeared in the Tarim Basin and northeast of China during local winter. A comparison of CALIPSO and ECMWF PBL under different land-cover conditions showed that the PBL depth estimated by the CALIPSO backscatter climatology is larger over ocean and forest surface than that estimated from ECMWF data. However, the PBL heights of ECMWF that were larger than those of CALIPSO were mainly concentrated over grassland and bare land surface in spring and summer. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.