Anne Mathieu
KNMI, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, Utrecht, Netherland

Characterization of the atmospheric boundary layer using observations and model output

A good description of the Atmospheric boundary layer state is difficult to obtain using observations and is usually partial. Some illustrations are given for satellite and in situ measurements, for two campaigns : SEMAPHORE - on an oceanic region - and cliwanet - a continental experiment.
These difficulties bring some methodological problems when comparing a set of observations with numerical weather forecast models. A general approach is introduced to cope with these difficulties.
The "congruence method" is defined and results are discussed for a synoptic characterization of the BL over the ocean, and on continental stations data.
.