Acoustic echo sounding of the marine boundary layer

Acoustical probing of the lower atmosphere has proliferated since 1968 when McAllister [J. Atmos. Terr. Phys. 30, 1439–1440 (1968)] demonstrated its advantages. Considerable acoustic echo soundings have been made in continental regions but echo sounding of the marine boundary layer (MBL) is fragmentary. Many hours of acoustic echo-sounding data have been taken since 1974 at a multisensor site on the Pacific coast in San Diego, CA, where the prevailing northwesterly winds carry the MBL over the echo sounder almost continuously. Simultaneous observations of the MBL by the echo sounder, other surface-based remote sensors (e.g., FM-CW radar and lidar) and standard meterological sensors (e.g., radiosondes) have aided in the interpretation of the echo-sounder data. These observations have been augmented by observations on the Atlantic coast near Wallops Island, VA. The paper will present some characteristic echo-sounder data of the MBL with meterological interpretations.