Boundary Layer Studies

This research portfolio focuses on observing and understanding the structure and evolution of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL), with a particular emphasis on the Nocturnal Boundary Layer (NBL) and its interaction with the underlying surface. The work leverages advanced observing systems, especially the CLAMPS mobile profilers, in a series of major field campaigns to study phenomena ranging from nocturnal low-level jets to the impacts of complex terrain and land-use heterogeneity.

Wind Energy & Land-Atmosphere Interaction

A primary theme is understanding how the PBL is modified by the surface, both natural and human-made.

• American Wake Experiment (AWAKEN) (2022-2024): In this major DOE-funded campaign, our role was to deploy both CLAMPS systems to observe how large wind farms impact the boundary layer. The goal was to gather high-fidelity data to validate and improve wind plant models. Our research has focused on the evolution of the nocturnal boundary layer and nocturnal low-level jets (NLLJ) as they interact with the wind plants, with findings showing that operational wind plants can increase the PBL height.

• Surface Heterogeneity Studies: This focus extends to natural surfaces. This theme is present in published work from the CHEESEHEAD 2019 campaign, which connected land-atmosphere interactions directly to surface heterogeneity. It also informed declined proposals (ARISE, Idealized Planar-Array Study) to further explore these complex interactions.

PBL in Complex Terrain

A second major effort involves deploying profiling systems to understand atmospheric processes in complex terrain.

• SPLASH-SAIL: The CLAMPS2 facility was deployed to the Rocky Mountains as part of a state-of-the-art observing network. This campaign’s goal was to advance weather and water prediction in the complex terrain of the East River watershed.

• Perdigão: The CLAMPS1 facility was deployed to Portugal for a comprehensive campaign that collected a reference dataset at unprecedented resolution. Using dozens of towers, remote sensors, and balloons in a single valley, this project characterized the mean and turbulent wind fields in a natural setting, enabling advanced analysis techniques.

Nocturnal Boundary Layer & Model Physics

This work is built on a strong foundation of NBL and NLLJ analysis, as well as its application to improving forecast models.

• Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) (2015): During this large field project, the CLAMPS1 system was part of a mobile profiling network targeting nighttime thunderstorms. My research from this project focused specifically on the NLLJ, producing a series of papers that analyzed its characteristics within analytical models, evaluated its simulation in the WRF model based on grid spacing and PBL parameterization, and detailed its observed and simulated characteristics.

• Forecast Model Improvement: The practical application of PBL research like this is demonstrated in work assessing the systematic impacts of different PBL schemes within the NOAA Warn-on-Forecast (WoFS) System.