Ceilometer evaluation of the eastern Mediterranean summer boundary layer height – first study of two Israeli sites

Abstract. Active remote-sensing instruments, such as ceilometers, have been shown to be potentially useful for the investigation of the behavior of the atmospheric mixing layer height (MLH). For the first time ever, high-resolution measurements of backscatter intensity, taken from two CL31 ceilometers situated inland and onshore of Israel, have enabled evaluation of the mean diurnal cycle of the MLH in the eastern Mediterranean region. Although the Israeli summer synoptic conditions are considered to be quite stable, results for the summer season (July–August 2014) showed the inland MLH to be about 200 m higher than the MLH at the onshore site, situated only 7.5 km away. The prevailing influence of the sea breeze front (SBF), as it progresses inland, is presented by the ceilometer plots. Complementing results were found between the radiosonde profiles and the adjacent ceilometer at the inland site of Beit Dagan. In contrast to the expected regularity of clear skies during the Israeli summer, the ceilometers revealed significant cloud cover throughout the day, with higher presence onshore. Assessment of cloud thickness in further research would serve to improve the evaluation of the MLH evolution.