Boundary-layer Structure Upwind and Downwind of Oklahoma City during the Joint Urban 2003 Field Study

The Joint Urban 2003 field study in Oklahoma City in July 2003 provided a comprehensive data set that included measurements from sites upwind and downwind of Oklahoma City where sodars, radar wind profilers/RASSes, and radiosondes were deployed. Radiosonde measurements were taken during 6 daytime intensive observational periods (IOPs) and during 4 nighttime IOPs, while the sodars and radars operated almost continuously during the entire month of July. The upwind and downwind sites were located approximately 2 km south and 5 km north of downtown Oklahoma City, respectively. Boundary-layer heights and wind and temperature structure at both sites have been investigated and compared to determine effects of the urban area on mean boundary-layer structure. Initial results show that differences in boundary-layer structure between the upwind and downwind location are small but significant. We plan to compare these measurements with a numerical model and simple analytical models such as those that predict the growth of an internal boundary layer after a roughness change, and an advective thermodynamic model used to determine mixing heights in an urban area.