Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2894
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2894
28 Oct 2024
 | 28 Oct 2024

An LES Exploration of the Assumptions used in Retrieving Entrainment from a Mixing Diagram Approach with Ground-Based Remote Sensors

Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson

Abstract. Entrainment is a crucial component of the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) moisture and heat budget. While usually thought of as only entrainment flux, entrainment within the mixed layer budget equation is really composed of two terms: the flux of a property across the boundary separating the BL from the free troposphere and the change in the concentration of a property as the depth of the BL changes. In a recent study, Wakefield et al. (2023) used ground-based remote sensing observations to estimate entrainment flux as the residual of a mixing diagram framework that was applied to the daytime convective boundary layer. This present work uses LES to examine how well this residual assumption for entrainment fluxes alone compares to the actual sum of those two entrainment terms derived from spatial averages of the LES output. We highlight the importance of the second entrainment term in closing the mixed layer budget and show that the residual assumption does not represent entrainment flux only but rather a total entrainment term when the boundary layer depth is changing.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

07 Oct 2025
A large-eddy simulation exploration of the assumptions used in retrieving entrainment from a mixing diagram approach with ground-based remote sensors
Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5129–5140, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5129-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5129-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2894', Anonymous Referee #1, 07 Jan 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2894', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Feb 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2894', Anonymous Referee #1, 07 Jan 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2894', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Feb 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Tessa Rosenberger on behalf of the Authors (23 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (09 Apr 2025) by Marcos Portabella
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (09 Apr 2025)
ED: Publish as is (29 May 2025) by Marcos Portabella
AR by Tessa Rosenberger on behalf of the Authors (08 Jun 2025)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

07 Oct 2025
A large-eddy simulation exploration of the assumptions used in retrieving entrainment from a mixing diagram approach with ground-based remote sensors
Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5129–5140, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5129-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5129-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson
Tessa E. Rosenberger, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, David D. Turner, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia M. Simonson

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Latest update: 08 Oct 2025
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Short summary
Entrainment is key in understanding temperature and moisture changes within the boundary layer, but it is difficult to observe using ground-based observations. This work used simulations to verify an assumption that simplifies entrainment estimations from ground-based observational data, recognizing that entrainment is the combination of the transfer of heat and moisture from above the boundary layer into it and the change in concentration of heat and moisture as boundary layer depth changes.
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