Turbulence statistics of a Kelvin-Helmholtz billow event observed in the night-time boundary layer during the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study field program

Abstract An apparent shear flow instability occurred in the stably stratified night-time boundary layer on 6 October 1999 over the Cooperative Atmosphere–Surface Exchange Study (CASES-99) site in southeast Kansas. This instability promoted a train of billows which appeared to be in different stages of evolution. Data were collected by sonic anemometers and a high-frequency thermocouple array distributed on a 60 m tower at the site, and a high resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL), situated close to the tower. Data from these instruments were used to analyze the characteristics of the instability and the billow event. The instability occurred in a layer characterized by a minimum Richardson number Ri∼0.13, and where an inflection in the background wind profile was also documented. The billows, which translated over the site for approximately 30 min, were approximately L∼320 m in length and, after billow evolution they were contained in a layer depth H∼30 m. Their maximum amplitude, determined by HRDL data, occurred at a height of 56 m. Billow overturns, responsible for mixing of heat and momentum, and high-frequency intermittent turbulence produce kurtosis values above the Gaussian value of 3, particularly in the lower part of the active layer.