Category Archives: Boundary layer

The Role of Synoptic Meteorology on UK Air Pollution

Posted on 14 August, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Chris Webber In the past year the issue of air pollution within the UK has been elevated, driven by the loss of life that it causes (in 2013 > 500,000 years of UK lives lost due to air pollution … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerosols, Atmospheric chemistry, Boundary layer, Environmental hazards, Urban meteorology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Can observations of the ocean help predict the weather?

Posted on 12 June, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Amos Lawless It has long been recognized that there are strong interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean. For example, the sea surface temperature affects what happens in the lower boundary of the atmosphere, while heat, momentum and moisture … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, data assimilation, Numerical modelling, Oceans, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

The physics behind a physics scheme

Posted on 15 May, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Alan Grant When I joined the Met Office (or, as it was then, The Meteorological Office), I was posted to the boundary layer group. I spent a number of years investigating the atmospheric boundary layer, using data from aircraft … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Environmental physics, Numerical modelling, Oceans, Waves | Leave a comment

Mountain waves, ship waves and duck waves

Posted on 20 February, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Miguel Teixeira There is a striking resemblance between some waves generated in the atmosphere in flow over isolated mountains and wave patterns in the wakes of ships, boats, or even ducks swimming in a pond. Typically, these waves are … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Waves | Leave a comment

Summer in the City – Materials, 3D Morphology and Urban Surface Temperatures

Posted on 7 September, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By Simone Kotthaus Who would have guessed that a zebra-crossing could go viral without a band walking across?! But this year it happened to pictures of a road in Delhi, India as the asphalt softened under soaring heat-wave conditions that … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Climate, Solar radiation, University of Reading, Urban meteorology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Carbon exchanges in cities and woodlands of southern England

Posted on 27 April, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By Sue Grimmond Cities are major contributors to recent carbon dioxide (CO2) rises in the atmosphere.  Emissions come from multiple sources, including vehicles, domestic heating/cooling, industrial activities and directly from people. While a large number of studies have focused on … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Measurements and instrumentation, Numerical modelling, Urban meteorology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sampling the skies with unmanned aircraft

Posted on 10 November, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Keri Nicoll Unmanned aircraft have been flown for leisure by model aircraft enthusiasts for many decades, but a recent surge in the development of unmanned aircraft technology means that a whole new suite of applications for this technology is … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Measurements and instrumentation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment