Evolution of the lower planetary boundary layer over strongly contrasting surfaces

In a multilaboratory field study held near Boardman in northeastern Oregon in June 1991, various properties of the surface and lower atmospheric boundary layer over heavily irrigated cropland and adjacent desert steppe were investigated in the initial campaign of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The locale was selected because its disparate characteristics over various spatial scales stress the ability of general circulation models (GCMS) to describe lower boundary conditions, particularly across the discontinuity between desert (in which turbulent flux of heat must be primarily as sensible heat) and large irrigated tracts (in which turbulent flux of latent heat should be the larger term). This campaign of ARM seeks to increase knowledge in three critical areas: (1) determination of the relationships between surface heat fluxes measured over multiple scales and the controlling surface parameters within each scale, (2) integration of local and nearly local heat flux estimates to produce estimates appropriate for GCM grid cells of 100-200 km horizontal dimension, and (3) characterization of the growth and development of the atmospheric boundary layer near transitions between surfaces with strongly contrasting moisture availabilities