Title: Lidar measurement of planetary boundary layer height and comparison with microwave profiling radiometer observation
Abstract: Abstract. Using the wavelet technology method and lidar measurements the atmospheric boundary layer height was derived above the city of Lanzhou (China) and its suburb rural area – Yuzhong. Furthermore, at Yuzhong, the average boundary layer height and entrainment zone thickness was derived in convective situations. Simultaneously the boundary layer height was derived from the microwave observations using a profiling radiometer and the parcel method. The results show that both data sets agree in strong convective situations. However, for weak convective situations the lidar measurements reveal boundary layer heights that are higher compared to the microwave observations, because a decrease of the thermal boundary layer height does not directly lead to a drop of aerosols in that altitude layer. Finally, the entrainment zone thicknesses are compared with theoretical predictions, and the results show some consistence between both data sets.