Convective boundary layer evolution to 4 km asl over High‐alpine terrain. Airborne lidar observations in the Alps

Abstract

Mountain ranges have important influences on the structure and composition of the convective boundary layer (CBL) and free troposphere (FT). Evolution of the summer CBL, measured over the European Alps using airborne lidar, was clearly observed to attain a near-uniform height up to 4.2 km asl by early afternoon. A climatology of in-situ high-alpine aerosol measurements suggests that such substantial growth, corresponding to ∼ 0.3 of the mid-latitude tropopause height, often occurs during summer months. Subsequent nocturnal collapse of the CBL was estimated to result in the venting of ∼ 0.8 ± 0.3 (SO4 4) Gg/day into a FT residual layer, leeward of the Alps.