Interactions of the land-surface with the atmospheric boundary layer: Case studies from LASPEX

The daytime interaction of the land-surface with the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is studied for two case study days representing pre-monsoon and monsoon conditions during the Land Surface Processes Experiment (LASPEX) field program which was carried out in the tropical semi-arid region in the northwest Indian state of Gujarat. In this study, a one-dimensional (column) ABL model which has a land-surface scheme that interacts with the ABL is used. Results indicate that in coupled land-atmosphere simulations, realistic daytime surface fluxes and atmospheric profiles are produced, though improvement is needed, particularly in the transpiration and soil heat flux formulation.