Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3959
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3959
14 Feb 2025
 | 14 Feb 2025

Best Estimate of the Planetary Boundary Layer Height from Multiple Remote Sensing Measurements

Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao

Abstract. Remote sensing measurements have been widely used to estimate the planetary boundary layer height (PBLHT). Each remote sensing approach offers unique strengths and faces different limitations. In this study, we use machine learning (ML) methods to produce a best-estimate PBLHT (PBLHT-BE-ML) by integrating four PBLHT estimates derived from remote sensing measurements at the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory. Three ML models—Random Forest (RF) Classifier, RF Regressor, and Light Gradient-Boosting Machine (LightGBM)—were trained on a dataset from 2017 to 2023 that included radiosonde, various remote sensing PBLHT estimates, and atmospheric meteorological conditions. Evaluations indicated that PBLHT-BE-ML from all three models improved alignment with PBLHT derived from Radiosonde data (PBLHT-Sonde), with LightGBM demonstrating the highest accuracy under both stable and unstable boundary layer conditions. Feature analysis revealed that the most influential input features at the SGP site were the PBLHT estimates derived from, a) potential temperature profiles retrieved using Raman Lidar (RL) and Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) measurements (PBLHT-THERMO), b) vertical velocity variance profiles Doppler Lidar (PBLHT-DL), and c) aerosol backscatter profiles from Micropulse Lidar (PBLHT-MPL). The trained models were then used to predict PBLHT-BE-ML at a temporal resolution of 10 minutes, effectively capturing the diurnal evolution of PBLHT and its significant seasonal variations, with the largest diurnal variation observed over summer at the SGP site. We applied these trained models to data from the ARM Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (EPCAPE) field campaign (EPC), where the PBLHT-BE-ML, particularly with the LightGBM model, demonstrated improved accuracy against PBLHT-Sonde. Analyses of model performance at both the SGP and EPC sites suggest that expanding the training dataset to include various surface types, such as ocean and ice-covered areas, could further enhance ML model performance for PBLHT estimation across varied geographic regions.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

28 Jul 2025
Best estimate of the planetary boundary layer height from multiple remote sensing measurements
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3453–3475, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3453-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3453-2025, 2025
Short summary
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3959', Anonymous Referee #1, 07 Mar 2025
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Damao Zhang, 26 Apr 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3959', Anonymous Referee #2, 24 Mar 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Damao Zhang, 26 Apr 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3959', Anonymous Referee #1, 07 Mar 2025
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Damao Zhang, 26 Apr 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3959', Anonymous Referee #2, 24 Mar 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Damao Zhang, 26 Apr 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Damao Zhang on behalf of the Authors (26 Apr 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (28 Apr 2025) by Jorge Luis Chau
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (01 May 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (12 May 2025)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (13 May 2025) by Jorge Luis Chau
AR by Damao Zhang on behalf of the Authors (16 May 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (19 May 2025) by Jorge Luis Chau
AR by Damao Zhang on behalf of the Authors (19 May 2025)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

28 Jul 2025
Best estimate of the planetary boundary layer height from multiple remote sensing measurements
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3453–3475, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3453-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3453-2025, 2025
Short summary
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, Chitra Sivaraman, Kefei Mo, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Jingjing Tian, Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Natalia Roldán-Henao

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Short summary
Planetary boundary layer height (PBLHT) is an important parameter in atmospheric process studies and numerical model simulations. We use machine learning methods to produce a best-estimate planetary boundary layer height (PBLHT-BE-ML) by integrating four PBLHT estimates derived from remote sensing measurements. We demonstrated that PBLHT-BE-ML greatly improved the comparisons against sounding-derived PBLHT.
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