Doppler LiDAR Measurements of Boundary Layer Heights over San Jose, California

There is a need for understanding boundary layer depth and climatology over the urban area of San Jose, California. In this paper, Doppler LiDAR data are observed from San Jose. The adopted methods of vertical velocity variance and skewness are used to determine the estimated height of the convective boundary layer and to analyze sources of turbulence. The use of these methods helped identify a few types of the boundary layer that are common in San Jose. Also examined in this paper is a brief climatology of the mean maximum convective boundary layer height in San Jose over the period of 2013–2015. Vertical velocity variance and skewness is applied to identify seasonal trends in the convective boundary layer height. The influence that the marine layer has on the boundary layer over San Jose is analyzed and a conduit for future work is set forth