The Convective Boundary Layer Structure from Lidar and Radiosonde Measurements during the EFEDA '91 Campaign

The convective boundary layer has been investigated with an airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) during the EFEDA (European Field Experiment in a Desertification Threatened Area) campaign in June 1991 over middle Spain. For the first time, airborne DIAL water vapor measurements resolving the structure of a convection cell are presented. On 28 June, an interesting boundary layer structure has been found in the lidar aerosol and water vapor measurements, showing a wave structure with a wavelength of 4.5 km and an amplitude of 100-450 m in the residual layer. Additional radiosonde data and the analysis of the synoptic situation reveal that this wave structure is part of a wind shear-driven gravity wave.