Ten years of operational measurements at the boundary layer field site of the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg / Richard – Aßmann Observatory (DWD)

The German Meteorological Service (DWD) performs a comprehensive operational measurement program at the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg / Richard – Aßmann Observatory in order to provide a reference data set characterizing the physical structure and processes in the atmosphere – the so-called “Lindenberg Column”. Boundary layer measurements form an essential part of the observatory's activities, and a special boundary layer field site has been established in the 1990ies 5 km to the south of the observatory site. Measurements at this field site became operational in May, 1998. They comprise the full spectrum of standard meteorological measurements, in-situ profile measurements of wind, temperature and humidity at towers of 10m and 99m height, micrometeorological measurements (soil parameters, radiation, turbulent energy fluxes) close to the ground and the operation of a sodar-RASS system for temperature and wind profiling of the lower atmospheric boundary layer. Moreover, scintillometer measurements are performed to provide estimates of the sensible heat flux at different spatial scales. The presentation will summarize some of the basic activities and results from the MOL-RAO boundary-layer measurement program thereby enlightening the use of the data for the validation of boundary-layer parameterisations in meteorological models. Special emphasis will be put on the place of scintillometry as a technique to derive the sensible turbulent heat flux at the regional scale thus bridging the gap between local micrometeorological measurements and the typical spatial resolution of regional-scale meteorological models and of satellite images.