ESTIMATION OF ATMOSPHERIC MIXING HEIGHTS OVER LARGE AREAS USING DATA FROM AIRPORT METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS

ABSTRACT

For this study, ground and sounding meteorological data at 16 airports were used for estimating the atmospheric mixing heights in Hebei Province of China, including Beijing and Tanjing areas. Three methods were compared for this purpose, which are the dry adiabatic method, the conventional Nozaki model, and a modified Nozaki model. The feasibility of using airport meteorological data to determine mixing heights in large area was verified through the use of measured mixing heights and observed SO₂ vertical profiles. The study not only estimated the mixing heights over large areas but also compared different early morning sounding temperature profiles to identify feasibility of using 2:00 a.m. sounding profiles to estimate mixing height by the dry adiabatic method. The paper also described the mixing heights over different areas such as mountain, sea boundary and plain areas. The results have considerable significance for air quality prediction and environmental management. A novel approach to estimation of atmospheric mixing heights over large area is introduced, requiring only the input of readily available airport meteorological data.

Keywords:

• Air quality
• Airport
• Large areas
• Meteorology
• Mixing height
• Temperature profile

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Beijing Meteorological Center, the 16 Airports in Hebei Province, Beijing and Tanjing areas, and China Institute of Environmental Science for providing local meteorological and aircraft-assisted monitoring data. Thanks are also given to the China Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada for funding this research.