One-year observation of urban mixed layer characteristics at Tsukuba, Japan using a micro pulse lidar

One-year characteristics of the urban mixed layer is observed by an eye-safe, compact micro pulse lidar (MPL). Retrieval method of the mixed layer height (MLH) and the encroachment model of the mixed layer growing are presented. Two case studies are carried out using summer and late winter data. Comparisons are made between the aerosol optical thickness, the rawinsonde data and the model calculation. The development of the mixed layer exhibits temporal behavior similar to that of the aerosol optical thickness, but with a time difference of about 1–2 h. The growth rate of the MLH agrees well with the encroachment model only in the morning, with considerate deviation during the daytime because of the wind effect. One-year growth rate and the maximum MLH are estimated from the MPL measurement between May 1999 and May 2000. The results show that the properties of mixed layer are strongly correlated with the seasonal meteorological conditions. This work also demonstrates that an automated, compact lidar system such as a MPL is quite useful for long-term monitoring of the mixed layer.