Significance of the Boundary Layer

Q:  Why is it important to understand the boundary layer?

• People send most of their lives in the boundary layer
• Daily weather forecasts of dew, fog, frost, max and min tempertature are really boundary layer forecasts
• Pollution is often trapped in the boundary layer
• Fog occurs within the boundary layer
• Some aviation, shipping, and other commerce activities are conducted within it.
• air mass generation
• Crops are grown in the boundary layer.  Pollen is distributed by boundary layer circulations.
• Cloud Condensation Nuclei are lofted into the air from the surface by boundary layer processes.
• Virtually all water vapor that reaches the free atmosphere is first transported through the boundary layer by turbulent and advective processes
• Thunderstorm and hurricane evolution are tied to the inflow of moist boundary layer air
• Turbulent transport of momentum down through the boundary layer to the surface is the most important momentum sink for the atmosphere.
• About 50% of the atmosphere's kinetic energy is dissipated in the boundary layer.
• Turbulence and gustiness affects architecture in the design of structures.
• Wind turbines extract energy from boundary layer winds.
• Wind stress on sea surface is primary energy source for ocean currents
• and the list goes on.......