The depth of the PBL depends on the amount of solar heating and friction at the earth’s surface. These surface processes cause turbulence in the PBL, which initiates the growth of the PBL. The height of the PBL is an indication of convective initiation.

Recently several PBL parameterizations have been developed for climate model applications. However, studied have shown that model forecast of precipitation is highly sensitive to particular PBL schemes. This study attempts to develop a method of assessing PBL parameterization using lidar and radiosonde observations.

Lidar measurement obtained for the International H₂O Project (IHOP)were used to determine PBL heights. Specifically, using a wavelet analysis the lidar backscatter was plotted as a function of time and height for both the Scanning Raman Lidar and the Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrumentation Experiment HARLIE lidars. From these plots the PBL was extracted. These heights derived from the SRL and HARLIE were validated with heights derived from radiosonde measurements.