Global seasonal average climatology of planetary boundary layer (PBL) height derived from GPS radio occultation measurements by the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3, TerraSAR-X, KOMPSAT-5, and PAZ satellite missions. The dataset is produced by the GES DISC organization and represents the latest version (V2) as of its last update in December 2019.
Use Cases
- Analyze seasonal variability of PBL height globally using the seasonal average climatology field.
- Validate and calibrate boundary layer parameterizations in climate models against the derived PBL height product.
- Study the transition zone between the free troposphere and the boundary layer using the vertical gradient of refractivity (dN/dz) data.
- Investigate latitudinal differences in PBL structure, leveraging data noted for high quality at low latitudes.
- Correlate PBL height with other atmospheric variables by joining on geospatial and temporal coordinates.
Strengths
- Derived from a multi-satellite constellation (COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3, TerraSAR-X, KOMPSAT-5, PAZ) providing global coverage.
- Uses an algorithm designed to locate the height of large vertical change in refractivity, based on methods from Ao et al. (2012).
- Represents the latest version (V2) of the collection, superseding previous versions.
Limitations
- Temporal coverage is limited to seasonal averages, not daily or sub-daily data.
- The dataset's last update was in 2019, making it temporally stale for recent climate studies.
- Specific row counts, sample sizes, and data resolution metrics are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- GES DISC (Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center).
- Collection Method
- PBL height calculated from GPS radio occultation refractivity profiles measured by satellite-borne IGOR receivers.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Last updated 2019-12-31; update frequency is null.
- Geography
- Global.