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.