Meteorological atmospheric boundary layer measurements and ECMWF analyses during summer at Dome C, Antarctica

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Genthon, Christophe, Town, Michael S., Six, Delphine, Favier, Vincent, Argentini, Stefania, Pellegrini, Andrea
• Other Authors: CLIPS, Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CHYC
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2010
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; Antarctic; Concordia Station; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00561263; https://hal.science/hal-00561263/document; https://hal.science/hal-00561263/file/2009JD012741.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD012741

International audience Six levels of meteorological sensors have been deployed along a 45 m tower at the French-Italian Concordia station, Dome C, Antarctic. We present measurements of vertical profiles, the diurnal cycle, and interdiurnal variability of temperature, humidity, and wind speed and direction for 3 weeks during the southern summer of 2008. These measurements are compared to 6-hourly European Center for Medium-Range Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses and daily radiosoundings. The ECMWF analyses show a 3-4°C warm bias relative to the tower observations. They reproduce the diurnal cycle of temperature with slightly weaker amplitude and weaker vertical gradients. The amplitude of the diurnal cycle of relative humidity is overestimated by ECMWF because the amplitude of the absolute humidity diurnal cycle is too small. The nighttime surface-based wind shear and Ekman spiral is also not reproduced in the ECMWF analyses. Radiosonde temperatures are biased low relative to the tower observations in the lowest 30 m but approach agreement at the top of the tower. Prior to bias correction for age-related contamination, radiosonde relative humidities are biased low relative to the tower observations in the lowest 10 m but agree with tower observations above this height. After correction for the age-related bias, the radiosonde relative humidity agrees with tower observations below 10 m but is biased high above this height. Tower temperature observations may also be biased by solar heating, despite radiation shielding and natural ventilation.