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Multi‐Instrument Observations of Prolonged Stratified Wind Layers at Iqaluit, Nunavut
Author(s) -
Mariani Zen,
Dehghan Armin,
Gascon Gabrielle,
Joe Paul,
Hudak David,
Strawbridge Kevin,
Corriveau Julien
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl076907
Subject(s) - radiosonde , lidar , stratification (seeds) , radar , wind profiler , environmental science , doppler radar , geology , wind speed , meteorology , wind shear , prevailing winds , wind direction , atmospheric sciences , remote sensing , oceanography , geography , seed dormancy , telecommunications , botany , germination , dormancy , computer science , biology
Data collected between October 2015 and May 2016 at Environment and Climate Change Canada's Iqaluit research site (64°N, 69°W) have revealed a high frequency (40% of all days for which observations were available) of stratified wind layer events that occur from near the surface up to about 7.2 km above sea level. These stratified wind layers are clearly visible as wind shifts (90 to 180°) with height in range‐height indicator scans from the Doppler lidar and Ka‐band radar and in wind direction profiles from the Doppler lidar and radiosonde. During these events, the vertical structure of the flow appears to be a stack of 4 to 10 layers ranging in vertical width from 0.1 to 4.4 km. The stratification events that were observed occurred predominantly (81%) during light precipitation and lasted up to 27.5 h. The integrated measurement platforms at Iqaluit permitted continuous observations of the evolution of stratification events in different meteorological conditions.