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Analysis of Boundary-Layer Statistical Properties at Dome C, Antarctica

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Abstract

The atmospheric boundary layer over the Antarctic Plateau is unique on account of its isolated location and extreme stability. Here we investigate the characteristics of the boundary layer using wind and temperature measurements from a 45-m high tower located at Dome C. First, spectral analysis reveals that both fields have a scaling behaviour from 30 min to 10 days (spectral slope \(\beta \approx 2\)). Wind and temperature time series also show a multifractal behaviour. Therefore, it is possible to fit the moment-scaling function to the universal multifractal model and obtain multifractal parameters for temperature (\(\alpha \approx 1.51,\, C_1\approx 0.14\)) and wind speed (\(\alpha \approx 1.34, \, C_1\approx 0.13\)). The same analysis is repeated separately in winter and summer at six different heights. The \(\beta \) parameter shows a strong stratification with height especially in summer, implying that properties of turbulence change surprisingly rapidly from the ground to the top of the tower.

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Acknowledgments

Boundary-layer observations and research at Dome C were supported by the French Polar Institute (IPEV; CALVA program), Institut National des Sciences de l,Univers (Concordia and LEFE-CLAPA programs), and Observatoire des Sciences de l,Univers de Grenoble (OSUG). We are grateful to Yvon Lemaître for his precious help. The authors wish to thank two anonymous reviewers whose valuable feedback greatly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Université Versailles St-Quentin, CNRS/INSU, LATMOS-IPSL, Guyancourt, France

    Jean-François Rysman

  2. LOCEAN (UPMC/IPSL), CNES, Paris, France

    Sébastien Verrier

  3. UPMC Univ., Paris 06, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Paris, France

    Alain Lahellec

  4. UJF - Grenoble 1 / CNRS Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE), Grenoble, France

    Christophe Genthon

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  1. Jean-François Rysman
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  2. Sébastien Verrier
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  3. Alain Lahellec
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  4. Christophe Genthon
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Correspondence to Jean-François Rysman.

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Rysman, JF., Verrier, S., Lahellec, A. et al. Analysis of Boundary-Layer Statistical Properties at Dome C, Antarctica. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 156, 145–155 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-015-0024-x

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