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Here is the current term: If below it different substantially compared to how it appears in your app/software, be sure to update your software/app's content prior to using this form.

Boundary Layer

In general, a layer of air adjacent to a bounding surface. Specifically, the term most often refers to the planetary boundary layer, which is the layer within which the effects of friction are significant. For the earth, this layer is considered to be roughly the lowest one or two kilometers of the atmosphere. It is within this layer that temperatures are most strongly affected by daytime insolation and nighttime radiational cooling, and winds are affected by friction with the earth's surface. The effects of friction die out gradually with increasing height, so the "top" of this layer cannot be defined exactly.

There is a thin layer immediately above the earth's surface known as the surface boundary layer (or simply the surface layer). This layer is only a portion of the planetary boundary layer, and represents the layer within which friction effects are more or less constant throughout (as opposed to decreasing with height, as they do above it). The surface boundary layer is roughly 10 meters thick (from the surface up to 10 m above the ground), but again the exact depth is indeterminate. Like friction, the effects of insolation and radiational cooling are strongest within this layer.

source: NOAA National Weather Service Glossary

Please do not use this form to tell us that the definition you saw doesn't necessarily match the context where you saw it. We use an automated keyword-based system to match the tens of thousands of definitions in our glossaries with our material. Sometimes, when a term has more than one meaning or use or when an abbreviation might stand for more than one thing or resemble a 'normal' word, this results in a definition for a term being shown that doesn't necessarily match the context. Please do not report such issues here. Rather, please use your best judgment to evaluate whether such definitions apply to what you're reading. If the answer is 'no' but nevertheless you feel the term doen't have a good definition in our system but should, please go back and find the 'suggest a term' link in the app. Thanks!

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