Profiling the atmospheric boundary layer: From European cooperation to operational services

Despite the importance of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) for many aspects of our life, including weather, telecommunication, renewable energy, it currently represents the most under-sampled part of the atmosphere and an observational gap at global level. Cooperation actions at European level are significantly contributing to the development and application of ABL profiling systems within the European observation network. Among these initiatives are the COST action PROBE, the E-PROFILE program, and the ACTRIS research infrastructure. In addition, the European Space Agency (ESA) deployed radiometric thermodynamic profilers at few sites of their satellite tracking station network and is promoting consistent atmospheric retrievals among them. This initiatives are reviewed here, with a focus on microwave radiometers, presenting preliminary results from an ESA funded project aiming at developing reference and harmonized monitoring and retrievals at several ESA sites.