Characteristics of the Planetary Boundary Layer Observed on July 9 and 10 During the LISTOS Field Campaign

During LISTOS (Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study) we deployed a research aircraft to collect several hours' worth of kinematic and thermodynamics data, from the southern coast of Long Island to coastal Connecticut in June and July 2018. Here we discuss general PBL characteristics of this complex coastal interface, and then focus on one specific case study during a high ozone event over Long Island, Long Island Sound, and coastal Connecticut (July 9-10). During this event we measured a maximum of more than 130 ppb O3 over Long Island Sound (LIS). These concentrations penetrated all the way down to the surface in western LIS but not in the eastern part of LIS, reflecting a varying influence of the sea surface between LI and Connecticut. We compare profiles of measured winds, potential T, and TKE (turbulence kinetic energy) with those from model simulations done using the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) , and discuss the dependence of high surface O3 on boundary layer dynamics in this region.