Atlantic atmospheric aerosol studies: 1. Program overview and airborne lidar

Abstract

During the period 1988–1990, studies of atmospheric aerosol have been made over the Atlantic. These include measurement programs out of Ascension Island (8°S, 14°W), the Azores (38°N, 25°W), Iceland (63°N, 23°W), and from the United Kingdom over the Northeast Atlantic. For these studies the equipment deployed included an airborne backscatter lidar (operating at 10.6 μm), airborne particle‐sounding probes, ground‐based lidars (operating at 10.6, 0.53, and 0.35 μm), balloon radiosondes, and a Sun‐tracking photometer. In addition, standard meteorological information has been incorporated along with, when appropriate, data from the SAGE II limb‐sounding satellite. The present paper thus introduces an overview of the program together with an outline of the technology, measurement characteristics, and performance of the airborne equipment that determined the strategic planning of much of the work. The measurements themselves, made in the relatively clean period for the atmosphere before the Mount Pinatubo eruption, will be presented in a subsequent series of papers.

Problems in separating aerosol and cloud in the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II data set under conditions of lofted dust: Application to the Asian deserts

“…The lowest altitude at which low extinction coefficient values appear in any of these nine regions is 2.0 km over the Pacific Ocean and over the North Atlantic Dust Corridor. These values are compatible with observations using lidar that show the aerosol backscatter coefficient over the ocean to decrease rapidly above about 2 km [ Alejandro et al , 1995]. The low altitude at which low extinction coefficient values appear over the Atlantic Dust Corridor is somewhat unexpected, as Saharan dust is advected over this region and would be expected to cause higher values for the extinction coefficient.…”

Study on the Optical–Physical Properties of Aerosol Layers in Africa Based on a Laser Satellite

“…Meanwhile, satellites can achieve large-area observations of aerosols all over the world; for instance, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [17,18], Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) [19,20], and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) [21] have been used for long-term continuous detection of aerosol optical depth (AOD) globally. To better understand the optical and physical characteristics of aerosols and clouds, aerosol and cloud layers' vertical distribution information has been explored based on lidar [22][23][24]. Lidar satellites like CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) have been widely used in the scientific observation of aerosol and cloud layers around the world [25][26][27].…”

Optical and Physical Characteristics of Aerosol Layers in Australia Based on CALIPSO

“…The MODIS sensors on board TERRA and AQUA satellites can obtain large-scale aerosol optical parameters but still cannot obtain the vertical distribution properties of aerosols [15]. With the development of observation technology, lidar has become a more popular remote sensing device for atmospheric aerosol and gas observations [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Not only can it obtain information on the vertical distribution of aerosols, but it can also work continuously at nighttime and during the daytime [22][23][24].…”