The Two ISOBAR Stable Boundary Layer Field Campains at Hailuoto, Finland in 2017 and 2018: Experimental Setup and First Results

The purpose of the research project “Innovative Strategies for Observations in the Arctic Atmospheric Boundary Layer” (ISOBAR) is to increase our understanding of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in the Arctic. In particular, we aim to study the physical processes governing the turbulent exchange under stable and very stable conditions, which are not well represented in current Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models, due to insufficient parameterization schemes for the Stable Boundary Layer (SBL).

Applying new and innovative observation strategies, which include multiple meteorological Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), in addition to well-established ground based and profiling systems (eddy-covariance masts, sodar, lidar), has provided unique data sets on the turbulent structure of the SBL, with unique spatial and temporal resolution. Supported by Single Column Model and Large-Eddy Simulation experiments, we will use the collected data sets to validate and improve existing SBL parameterization schemes.

Two field campaigns, 3 weeks in February 2017 and 4 weeks in February 2018, were performed on the island of Hailuoto, Finland on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. Eddy-covariance masts (in 2018 one of 10 m height equipped with three levels of sonics and three levels of slow meteorology), sodars and Doppler wind lidars provided the background monitoring during the campaign. Those measurements were complemented by the operation of a wide range of RPAS, in particular for atmospheric profiling of standard meteorological parameters and turbulence characteristics, but also for the mapping of surface temperatures and photogrammetry. We will here introduce the slightly different set-up for both campaigns, give an overview on the instrumentation used, reflect on data quality and data availability, and present selected first results.