Abstract. A reliable and precise in situ CO2 and CO analysis system has been developed and deployed at eight sites in the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory's (ESRL) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network. The network uses very tall (> 300 m) television and radio transmitter towers that provide a convenient platform for mid-boundary-layer trace-gas sampling. Each analyzer has three sample inlets for profile sampling, and a complete vertical profile is obtained every 15 min. The instrument suite at one site has been augmented with a cavity ring-down spectrometer for measuring CO2 and CH4. The long-term stability of the systems in the field is typically better than 0.1 ppm for CO2, 6 ppb for CO, and 0.5 ppb for CH4, as determined from repeated standard gas measurements. The instrumentation is fully automated and includes sensors for measuring a variety of status parameters, such as temperatures, pressures, and flow rates, that are inputs for automated alerts and quality control algorithms. Detailed and time-dependent uncertainty estimates have been constructed for all of the gases, and the uncertainty framework could be readily adapted to other species or analysis systems. The design emphasizes use of off-the-shelf parts and modularity to facilitate network operations and ease of maintenance. The systems report high-quality data with > 93% uptime. Recurrent problems and limitations of the current system are discussed along with general recommendations for high-accuracy trace-gas monitoring. The network is a key component of the North American Carbon Program and a useful model for future research-grade operational greenhouse gas monitoring efforts.

Aim Climatic conditions exert a strong control on the geographic distribution of many woodland-to-grassland transition zones (or 'tree lines'). Because woody plants have, in general, a weaker cold tolerance than herbaceous vegetation, their altitudinal or latitudinal limits are strongly controlled by cold sensitivity. While temperature controls on the dynamics of woodland-grassland ecotones are relatively well established, the ability of woody plants to modify their microclimate and to create habitat for seedling establishment and growth may involve a variety of processes that are still not completely understood. Here we investigate feedbacks between vegetation and microclimatic conditions in the proximity to woodlandgrassland ecotones.Location We concentrate on arctic and alpine tree lines, the transition between mangrove forests and salt marshes in coastal ecosystems, and the shift from shrubland to grassland along temperature gradients in arid landscapes. MethodsWe review the major abiotic and biotic mechanisms underlying the ability of woody plants to alter the nocturnal microclimate by increasing the temperatures they are exposed to.Results We find that in many arctic, alpine, desert and coastal landscapes the presence of trees or shrubs causes nocturnal warming thereby favouring the establishment and survival of woody plants.Main conclusion Because of this feedback, trees and shrubs may establish in areas that would be otherwise unsuitable for their survival. Thus, in grasslandwoodland transition zones both vegetation covers may be (alternative) stable states of the landscape, thereby affecting the way tree lines may migrate in response to regional and global climate change.

Abstract:The exchange of heat, momentum, and mass in the atmosphere over mountainous terrain is controlled by synoptic-scale dynamics, thermally driven mesoscale circulations, and turbulence. This article reviews the key challenges relevant to the understanding of exchange processes in the mountain boundary layer and outlines possible research priorities for the future. The review describes the limitations of the experimental study of turbulent exchange over complex terrain, the impact of slope and valley breezes on the structure of the convective boundary layer, and the role of intermittent mixing and wave-turbulence interaction in the stable boundary layer. The interplay between exchange processes at different spatial scales is discussed in depth, emphasizing the role of elevated and ground-based stable layers in controlling multi-scale interactions in the atmosphere over and near mountains. Implications of the current understanding of exchange processes over mountains towards the improvement of numerical weather prediction and climate models are discussed, considering in particular the representation of surface boundary conditions, the parameterization of sub-grid-scale exchange, and the development of stochastic perturbation schemes.

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Three-dimensional simulations of the daytime thermally induced valley wind system for an idealized valley–plain configuration, obtained from nine nonhydrostatic mesoscale models, are compared with special emphasis on the evolution of the along-valley wind. The models use the same initial and lateral boundary conditions, and standard parameterizations for turbulence, radiation, and land surface processes. The evolution of the mean along-valley wind (averaged over the valley cross section) is similar for all models, except for a time shift between individual models of up to 2 h and slight differences in the speed of the evolution. The analysis suggests that these differences are primarily due to differences in the simulated surface energy balance such as the dependence of the sensible heat flux on surface wind speed. Additional sensitivity experiments indicate that the evolution of the mean along-valley flow is largely independent of the choice of the dynamical core and of the turbulence parameterization scheme. The latter does, however, have a significant influence on the vertical structure of the boundary layer and of the along-valley wind. Thus, this ideal case may be useful for testing and evaluation of mesoscale numerical models with respect to land surface–atmosphere interactions and turbulence parameterizations.

The new detailed data set resulting from this field campaign, set in highly complex terrain, is helping improve turbulence schemes in meteorological and hydrological numerical models.

[1] Changes in vegetation cover are known for their ability to modify the surface energy balance and near-surface microclimate conditions. A major change in vegetation composition that has been occurring in many dryland regions around the world is associated with the replacement of arid grasslands by desert shrublands. The impact of shrub encroachment on regional climate conditions remains poorly investigated, and, to date, it is unclear how this shift in plant community composition may affect the microclimate. Here we used concurrent meteorological observations at two adjacent sites dominated by Larrea tridentata shrubs and native grass species, respectively, in the northern Chihuahuan desert to investigate differences in nighttime air temperatures between the shrubland and grassland vegetation covers. The nighttime air temperature was found to be substantially higher (>2°C) in the shrubland than in the grassland, especially during calm winter nights. These differences in surface air temperature were accompanied by differences in longwave radiation and sensible and ground heat fluxes. We developed a one-dimensional model to show how longwave radiation emitted by the ground at night can explain the higher nighttime air temperature over the shrubland. Because of the larger fraction of bare soil typically existing in the shrub cover, the ground surface remains less insulated and more energy flows into the ground at the shrubland site than in the grassland during daytime. This energy is then released at night mainly as longwave radiation, which causes the differences in the nighttime air temperatures between the two land covers.