Accessibility navigation


The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain

Wood, C. R., Chapman, J. W., Reynolds, D. R., Barlow, J. F., Smith, A. D. and Woiwod, I. P. (2006) The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain. International Journal of Biometeorology, 50 (4). p. 193. ISSN 1432-1254

[img]
Preview
Text (The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com) - Accepted Version
· Please see our End User Agreement before downloading.

569kB

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

To link to this item DOI: 10.1007/s00484-005-0014-7

Abstract/Summary

Insects migrating at high altitude over southern Britain have been continuously monitored by automatically-operating, vertical-looking radars over a period of several years. During some occasions in the summer months, the migrants were observed to form well-defined layer concentrations, typically at heights of 200-400 m, in the stable night-time atmosphere. Under these conditions, insects are likely to have control over their vertical movements and are selecting flight heights which are favourable for long-range migration. We therefore investigated the factors influencing the formation of these insect layers by comparing radar measurements of the vertical distribution of insect density with meteorological profiles generated by the UK Met. Office’s Unified Model (UM). Radar-derived measurements of mass and displacement speed, along with data from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps provided information on the identity of the migrants. We present here three case studies where noctuid and pyralid moths contributed substantially to the observed layers. The major meteorological factors influencing the layer concentrations appeared to be: (a) the altitude of the warmest air, (b) heights corresponding to temperature preferences or thresholds for sustained migration and (c), on nights when air temperatures are relatively high, wind-speed maxima associated with the nocturnal jet. Back-trajectories indicated that layer duration may have been determined by the distance to the coast. Overall, the unique combination of meteorological data from the UM and insect data from entomological radar described here show considerable promise for systematic studies of high-altitude insect layering.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
ID Code:1629
Publisher:Springer
Publisher Statement:The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation