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Which process makes a boundary layer well mixed?

  • A.Convective overturning driven by surface heating
  • B.Radiative cooling from the top of the layer, which stabilises it and prevents any further mixing occurring
  • C.Subsidence
  • D.The advection of air of uniform properties from a distant source region across the observing site below

Answer: A

Surface heating produces thermals that carry warm air upward and return cooler air downward, homogenising the potential temperature through the depth of the layer. The result is a nearly adiabatic temperature profile capped by a stable layer. Radiative cooling from cloud top can also drive mixing in stratocumulus, which makes that a genuine mechanism in a different setting. The shared properties explain why these belong to one family, and the differences explain why more than one exists.

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