Marine Boundary Layer Height Obtained by New Numerical Regularization Method Based on GPS Radio Occultation Data

摘要

The boundary layer height (BLH) determines the interface between the lower and the free atmosphere, and it is a key variable in numerical simulations and aerosol and environmental pollution studies. This article proposes a novel method in conjunction with numerical regularization to analyze the climate characteristics of the marine boundary layer height (MBLH) using 2007–2011 GPS-RO data from the COSMIC mission. The MBLH corresponds to the smallest gradient, which is calculated using the numerical regulation method where the regulation parameters are determined by the double-parameter model function method. The results reveal the relationship between the MBLH and ocean currents for the first time. A low MBLH is associated with cold seasons and seas where cold ocean currents prevail whereas a high MBLH is related to warm seasons and seas where warm currents prevail. This correlation was validated by comparing the obtained results with different occultation data including atmprf and echprf, which also showed that atmprf is more sensitive to convective cloud top capture. To test the credibility of the results, the standard deviation was used to express the MBLH confidence level. The results show that the standard deviation of the MBLH was highest in low latitudes and lowest in the middle and high latitudes. Furthermore, we analyzed the trends in interannual MBLH variations, which display significant seasonal variations and spatial distributions that correspond with the current and subsolar point. Finally, we conducted a case study in the South China Sea, and identified a distinctive seasonal change and interannual decline in MBLH.