Objectively determined fair-weather CBL depths in the ARW-WRF model and their comparison to CASES-97 observations

High-resolution 24-h runs of the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model are used to test eight objective methods for estimating convective boundary layer (CBL) depth h, using four planetary boundary layer schemes: Yonsei University (YSU), Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ), Bougeault-LaCarrere (BouLac), and quasi-normal scale elimination (QNSE). The methods use thresholds of virtual potential temperature Θ_ν, turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), Θ_νz, or Richardson number. Those that identify h consistent with values found subjectively from modeled Θ_ν profiles are used for comparisons to fair-weather observations from the 1997 Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study (CASES-97). The best method defines h as the lowest level at which Θ_νz 52 K km^-1, working for all four schemes, with little sensitivity to horizontal grid spacing. For BouLac, MYJ, and QNSE, TKE thresholds did poorly for runs with 1- and 3-km grid spacing, producing irregular h growth not consistent with Θ_ν-profile evolution. This resulted from the vertical velocity W associated with resolved CBL eddies: for W > 0, TKE profiles were deeper and Θ_ν profiles more unstable than for W < 0. For the 1-km runs, 25-point spatial averaging was needed for reliable TKE-based h estimates, but thresholds greater than free-atmosphere values were sensitive to horizontal grid spacing. MatchingΘ_ν(h) toΘ_ν(0.05h) orΘ_ν at the first model level were often successful, but the absence of eddies for 9-km grids led to more unstable Θ_ν profiles and often deeper h. Values of h for BouLac, MYJ, and QNSE, are mostly smaller than observed, with YSU values close to slightly high, consistent with earlier results.