LITE Planetary Boundary Layer Measurements
The planetary boundary layer (PBL) contains most of the aerosol and water vapor in the
atmosphere and thus has a major influence on radiative fluxes. The PBL also acts as the
interface where the coupling between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface occurs, and the
depth of the PBL acts as a controlling factor in the transfer of moisture and momentum
between them. Studies of climate sensitivity, therefore, require careful consideration of the
role of the PBL. The depth of the PBL varies greatly in space and time, yet the behavior of the
PBL depth is virtually unknown over most of the globe because it cannot be observed by
current operational remote sensing instruments. By observing the aerosol gradient typically
found at the top of the PBL, LITE provides the first global measurements of PBL height. This
will aid in the validation of parameterizations of the PBL in general circulation models and
improve our abilities to model the coupling between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface.