Comparison of mixing length scale parametrization for the investigation of turbulence relevant for ground to satellite communication

Satellite-to-ground communications and laser applications often suffer from turbulence, causing loss of signal quality. Key parameters include the coherence length of turbulence (𝑟0), the isoplanatic angle, and the Greenwood frequency. Specifically, this study focuses on the effects of different assumptions regarding mixing length scales on the vertical profile of optical turbulence. We report a comparison of various parametrizations, based on the ratio of mechanical and thermal heat exchange, alongside existing parametrizations found in literature. The range of mixing scale variations, spanning from centimeters to thousands of meters, poses a significant challenge and raises questions regarding the utilization of standard radiosonde data for turbulence estimation.