Tropospheric Thermodynamic Behavior Over Qatar

Understanding the mechanisms driving the development of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and the Subtropical Subsidence Inversion (SSI) over Qatar is essential for accurate prediction of surface meteorology and air quality. Using the vertical backscatter profile of the atmosphere from a ceilometer located at Qatar Foundation, coupled with a novel Layer Identification Algorithm (LIA) developed by scientists at QEERI, a continuous time series of the PBL and SSI has been constructed. LIA was developed in response to limitations in the original software from the ceilometer, that was only able to analyze data up to 4 km altitude, but radiosonde observations indicated the existence of the SSI at higher altitudes (between 4.5 and 8 km above sea level). LIA has been validated against in-situ measurements through spatial and temporal coincident radiosonde launches by QEERI (more than two years of weekly measurements). The LIA algorithm uses image recognition methods to identify boundary layers not only by their ve...