Boundary Layer Meteorology
The atmospheric boundary layer is the lowest part of the atmosphere - the part we live in, and the part that most directly shapes wind, weather, and the exchange of heat, moisture, and momentum with the surface. It is turbulent, strongly influenced by the ground beneath it, and genuinely difficult to model well.
A major driver of this work is wind energy, one of the fastest-growing forms of renewable energy, with billions of dollars going into its research, development, and operations. Yet the power a wind plant generates is surprisingly sensitive to the details of the inflow, and turbines sometimes fall short of their expected lifetimes. Understanding the boundary layer better is central to making wind energy a financially viable, sustainable, and safe way to generate power for generations to come.
