Observations of Offshore Low‐Level Jets Off the U.S. East Coast Reveal Systematic Biases in ERA5 and HRRR

Bodini, N.; Letizia, S.; Adler, B.; Turner, D. D.; Krishnamurthy, R.; Scholbrock, A.; Jager, D.; Cinquino, E.; Kirincich, A.

doi:10.1029/2025GL119969

i

Observations of Offshore Low‐Level Jets Off the U.S. East Coast Reveal Systematic Biases in ERA5 and HRRR

2026
By Bodini, N. ; Letizia, S. ; Adler, B. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Geophysical Research Letters
Personal Author:

Bodini, N. ; Letizia, S. ; Adler, B. ; Turner, D. D. ; Krishnamurthy, R. ; Scholbrock, A. ; Jager, D. ; Cinquino, E. ; Kirincich, A.
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; GSL (Global Systems Laboratory) ; PSL (Physical Sciences Laboratory)
Description:

Low‐level jets (LLJs)-wind speed maxima typically occurring a few hundred meters above the surface-are common off the U.S. East Coast and influence many atmospheric processes with societal importance, including cloud formation, aviation safety, and search‐and‐rescue. However, their vertical structure and frequency remain poorly quantified due to limited offshore observations. This study presents new scanning Doppler LiDAR and infrared spectroradiometer data from the 2024 summer deployment of an offshore barge during the Wind Forecast Improvement Project 3. These coupled wind and temperature profiles provide unprecedented resolution to assess LLJ behavior and model performance. LLJs occurred in over 21% of observed profiles, with a weak diurnal preference for nighttime and early morning hours and maximum winds typically near 300 m. Both ERA5 and High‐Resolution Rapid Refresh analysis underestimate jet wind speeds and misrepresent the boundary layer thermal structure. These results highlight persistent model biases and the critical need for high‐resolution offshore observations.
Source:

Geophysical Research Letters, 53(13)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL119969
ISSN:

0094-8276 ; 1944-8007
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY-NC
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:97797624ed715edc6a7e0486d3d677d5ad67f7a893214f4f3a01d3ed75b6139de6d9f609c0c514676a1fc2c96533357bca74a54682dc31f2ed896e82c694fe42
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/74031/noaa_74031_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 3.43 MB ]

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