Presented on October 2, 2024, by

Professor Steven Businger
Atmospheric Sciences
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Abstract

This talk will provide a historical review of our understanding of the workings of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL); that part of the lower atmosphere, typically ≤1 km in depth, that directly feels the influence of the Earth’s surface. The review is a celebration of the career of Joost A. Businger (1924-2023), a pioneer in this area, who realized early in his studies that the atmospheric boundary layer holds great practical importance in the sense that most of humankind’s activities take place within it, and scientific importance in the sense that the boundary layer forms the interface between the free atmosphere and the Earth’s surface and therefore plays a major role in our weather and climate. The talk will review progress in our understanding of relationships between the surface layer and circulations in the ABL and in our understanding air-sea interaction during the past century. The relationships form a cornerstone that numerical weather and climate models rely upon.