Advancing boundary-layer physics via Doppler wind LiDAR dynamic-thermodynamic profiling
Simultaneous, high-resolution measurements of boundary-layer dynamics and thermodynamics remain a longstanding observational challenge. We present a Doppler wind LiDAR–based retrieval that derives virtual potential temperature from TKE-budget buoyancy residuals, enabling concurrent profiling of wind, turbulence, and thermal structure. Field applications in Shenzhen and Beijing demonstrate that the method resolves stable, convective, and low-level-jet layers, capturing turbulence–stability interactions with sub-kelvin accuracy. These findings establish that conventional wind LiDAR can be transformed into a continuous, high-resolution dynamic–thermodynamic profiler for detailed investigation of boundary-layer processes.
Authors
- Laixiang Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7784-7942)
- Jinhong Xian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7242-3318)
- Jianping Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8530-8976)
- Zhan Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4520-0036)
- Honglong Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8141-7451)
- Zongxu Qiu
- Xiaoling Lin
- Jinyuan Xin
- Lei Li
- Ning Zhang
- Pak Wai Chan
- Shuai Wang
Institutions
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Hong Kong Observatory (CN)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (CN)
- Meteorological Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- University of Delaware (US)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
- Published
- 2026-08-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01494-6
- Primary Topic
- Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- China Meteorological Administration