Fay Davies & Karen Bozier (Salford University) and Doug Middleton (Met Office) have recently published results from the ISB52 funded study of the boundary layer depth (bld) or mixing height, using remote sensing with a ground based pulsed Doppler lidar system, Collier et al. (2005).  This study sought to measure atmospheric boundary layer parameters (including boundary layer depth) that are used in dispersion models. The paper by Davies et al. (2007) discusses the boundary layer depth from models and measurements.

Figure 1: 10.6 micron Doppler lidar system showing light table fitted inside a mobile laboratory.

Figure 2: Boundary Layer Heights from Model data (Unified Model-Red), (ADMS Urban-black), (ADMS rural – green), (ADMS ‘transition’ – dashed green), and Lidar data (mixed layer height – circles) , (cloudbase – points)

Figure 3: New Salford 1.5 micron Doppler Lidar produced by Halo Photonics and measuring 56cm x54cmx18cm. (Range gate :30m, minimum range 120m)

Figure 4: Data from the new Salford 1.5 micron Doppler lidar taken during the Helsinki Testbed on the 21st August 2006. The top panel shows beginning of a air pollution incident as forest fires in Northern Russia are advected across Helsinki. Lower panel shows the Vertical velocities.

References:
 
Collier C G, Bozier K E, Davies F, Holt A R, Middleton D R , Pearson G N, Siemen S, Willetts D V, Upton G J G. and Young R I, Dual-Doppler Lidar Measurements for Improving Dispersion Models. Bulletin American Meteorological Society, June 2005. pp. 825-838.

Davies F, Middleton D R and Bozier K E, Urban Air pollution Modelling and Measurements of Boundary Layer Height, 2007, Atmospheric Environment 41: pp. 4040-4049.

Doppler lidar observations of Russian forest fire plumes over Helsinki (2007)
K E Bozier, G N Pearson, C G Collier, Weather, Royal Meteorological Rociety, Pub. Wiley.  Volume 62 Issue 8 , Pages 203 - 207 (August 2007)