Selected field measurements of evening stable boundary layers are pres
ented in detail comparable with published Large Eddy Simulation result
s. Such models appear to match idealized theories more closely than do
some boundary-layer observations. Any attempt to compare detailed obs
ervations with idealized models therefore highlights the variability o
f the real boundary layer. Here direct turbulence measurements across
the stable boundary layer from a heterogeneous and an 'ideal' site are
contrasted. Recommendations are made for the information needed to di
stinguish 'heterogeneous' and 'ideal' cases. The companion paper (Part
II) discusses further the issues of data, analysis in the presence of
variability, and the effects of averaging over heterogeneous terrain.