Boundary layer mean and turbulence properties over the Arctic ocean during the spring and summer seasons

During the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment, the NCAR C-130 made intensive measurements in and above the boundary layer during the spring and summer seasons. In this study, we analyzed measurements from eight C-130 flights during the spring season and eight flights during the summer season over the Arctic Ocean focusing on boundary layer mean and turbulence characteristics in the two seasons and their relationship to cloud and surface properties. In general, the springtime Arctic boundary layer was deeper and had stronger turbulence compared to those during the summertime. While most of the springtime boundary layers had rather well-mixed vertical thermodynamic structure, the summer boundary layers were in general stably stratified. The cloud-covered boundary layers in both seasons were also analyzed and compared. We also analyzed the surface fluxes and variances and their relationship to the underlying surface properties such as lead fraction during the spring season. Several surface flux parameterizations were also examined using the available turbulence measurements from the SHEBA experiment.