In the southern South America, various types of aerosols have been observed including biomass burning aerosols from the Amazon region, flying ashes from the volcanic eruptions coming from the Andean Volcanic Belt, mineral dust from the Patagonian Desert, and air pollution aerosols from urban areas. To monitor such aerosols continuously, we developed a lidar observation network in Argentina and Chile. Eight lidars were installed in Argentina and one in Punta Arenas, Chile. Backscattering signals are measured at three wavelengths: 355, 532, and 1064 nm. Eight of those instruments are measuring depolarization ratio at 355 and 532 nm to detect non-spherical aerosols. In addition, four lidars are equipped Ramans channels and two high-spectral-resolution channels to measure backscattering and extinction coefficients quantitatively. Lidar operation, data analysis, and products release are implemented within the South American Environmental Risk Management Network (SAVER-Net) system, which was developed by a trinational project among Japan, Argentina, and Chile. Using lidar data, hazard information on the aerosol type and extinction coefficient at low altitude is provided for public in a near real time. In addition, plume height and qualitatively concentration for volcanic ashes are estimated. The information on volcanic ashes may be effectively used for advising aircraft landing and departing when volcanic eruptions occurs.
Continuous monitoring of aerosol profiles using lidar is helpful for a quasi-real-time indication of aerosol concentration. For instance, volcanic ash concentration and its height distribution are essential information for plane flights. Depolarization ratio and multi-wavelength measurements are useful for characterizing aerosol types such as volcanic ash, smoke, dust, sea-salt, and air pollution aerosols. High spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) and Raman scattering lidar can contribute to such aerosol characterization significantly since extinction coefficients can be measured independently from backscattering coefficients. In particular, HSRL can measure aerosol extinction during daytime and nighttime with a high sensitivity. We developed an HSRL with the iodine filter method for continuous observation of aerosols at 532nm in the northern region of Argentina in the framework of the South American Environmental Atmospheric Risk Management Network (SAVER.Net)/SATREPS project. The laser wavelength of the HSRL was controlled by a feedback system to tune the laser wavelength to the center of an iodine absorption line. The stability of the laser wavelength with the system satisfied the requirement showing very small systematic errors in the retrieval of extinction and backscatter.
Atmospheric monitoring stations are being developed in Argentina. The most important targets are volcanic ashes, desert aerosols in particular Patagonian dust and biomass burning aerosols. Six stations deployed in the Patagonian Region and Buenos Aires have lidar systems, sun photometers integrated to the AERONET/NASA monitoring network, in situ optical particle analyzers, four solar radiation sensors (pyranometer, UVA, UVB and GUV), and meteorological equipment. The stations are in the main international airports of the Regions (San Carlos de Bariloche, Comodoro Rivadavia, Neuquén, Rio Gallegos) and in Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and at CEILAP/CITEDEF). CEILAP and the National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES) at Tsukuba, Japan developed the first iodine cell-based high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) in Argentina to add in the lidar network. We upgraded the standard CEILAP multi-wavelength Raman lidar adding the laser frequency tuning system and the 532 iodine-filtered channel at the reception to built the HSRL. HSRL will provide daytime and nighttime direct observation of the aerosol and cloud optical properties (backscatter and extinction) without the pre-assumption of the lidar ratio. This work shows the design and construction of the first Argentinean HSRL. We also show the first lidar observations done in the country with this kind of lidar.
The Latin American Lidar Network (LALINET) is the aerosol lidar network operating over South America. LALINET is now an operative network performing a schedule of routine measurements and, currently, is composed by 9 stations distributed over South America. The main objective of LALINET is to generate a consistent and statistically relevant database to enhance the understanding of the particle distribution over the continent and its direct and indirect influence on climate. The creation of an un-biased spatiotemporal database requires a throughout review of the network on two pillars: instrumentation and data processing. Because most of the LALINET systems are not series-produced instruments and, therefore, present large differences in configuration and capabilities, attempts for network harmonization and, consequently, optimization are mandatory. In this study a review of the current instrumental status of all LALINET systems is done and analyzed in detail in order to assess the potential performance of the network and to detect networking weaknesses.
We present the design and preliminary results of a water vapor Raman lidar, developed explicitly for meteorological applications. The lidar was designed for Meteoswiss as a fully automated, eye-safe instrument for routine water vapor measurements in the troposphere. The lidar is capable of day and nighttime vertical profiling of the tropospheric water vapor with 15 to 30 min temporal resolution. The daytime operation is achieved by decreasing the solar background employing the narrow field-of-view, narrow-band technique. The daytime vertical operational range exceeds 4 km, while the nighttime range is above 7.5 km. The lidar receiver is built on a compact multi-telescope configuration coupled with fibers to a grating polychromator used for spectral separation and partial background suppression. An additional "near range" fiber in one of the telescopes increases the signal level in the near range and allows water vapor retrieval starting from 100 m. The water vapor mixing ratio is retrieved using the ratio of the water vapor and the nitrogen Raman signals. An additional detection channel for oxygen Raman signal is used for aerosol correction.
Ozone and aerosol vertical distribution and their time evolution were measured with a combined UV DIAL / 532-nm elastic lidar during the MCMA 2003 field campaign held in April-May 2003 in Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The DIAL transmitter is based on a N2 Raman converter, pumped by the IVth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. The residual second harmonic radiation from the laser is used for aerosol measurements. In the DIAL part of the receiver a dual-telescope configuration ("Long" and "Short" range) is employed to reduce the dynamic range of the signals and a single 20 cm F/4 Newtonian type telescope is used for the aerosol observations at 532 nm. The DIAL wavelengths are transmitted coaxially to the long range telescope and the 532 nm beam is transmitted coaxially to the "aerosol" telescope. The DIAL receiver is equipped with a grating polychromator for spectral separation and the 532 nm receiver uses a narrowband (0.4 nm) interference filter. "Hamamatsu" 5783-06 photosensor modules detect all signals. Ozone concentration was measured to altitudes of up to 6 km AGL and aerosol to 14 km AGL. The height of the PBL was estimated from the aerosol measurements. The diurnal evolution of the PBL and ozone were studied during the campaign. Formation of a residual layer containing elevated ozone concentrations at nighttime, as well as detachment of the PBL in the late afternoon hours were observed.
A new generation Raman LIDAR system is developed for high spatial (1.5 m) and temporal (1 s) resolution humidity and temperature measurements in the lower atmosphere. A multi-telescope array is used so that a near constant LIDAR signal is obtained from 10 m out to 500 m. The system is operated in the solar blind spectral region and corrected for ozone and aerosol influences. A prism polychromator system allows for the separation of the rotational-vibrational Raman bands of water vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen molecules with 'high spectral purity' with a throughput efficiency of greater than 90 %. This LIDAR system will ultimately be used to study the structure of the lower atmosphere over complex terrain and in particular advance our understanding of turbulent blending mechanisms in the unstable atmosphere.
An intensive study of an aerosol intrusion episode in Buenos Aires is presented. We have combined back-trajectories calculations (HYSPLIT) and satellite images with the aim of revealing the origin of these air masses. The aerosol intensive properties were characterized using a collocated sun-photometer from the AERONET network. The corresponding pressure levels for each air mass were obtained by means of a LIDAR system, which was also used to calculate the aerosol extinction profiles for the available wavelengths.
The lidar systems contribute with privileged information to study environmental pollution due to its capacity to discriminate different atmospheric parameters in time and space. In this work, three of those system were developed at CEILAP laboratory in Argentina (34° 33' S, 58° 30' W): 1) a Multiwavelength lidar to characterized the atmospheric boundary layer and tropospheric aerosols using a Nd:YAG laser (10 Hz, 650 mJ @ 1064 nm); 2) a Raman lidar to measure night-time water vapor profiles, useful as a tracer of air parcel and in understanding energy transport within the atmosphere. This system utilizes an excimer laser (XeCl) (100 Hz, 300 mJ @ 308 nm), and 3) a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) to measure the stratospheric ozone profile. Two laser are used, the same excimer laser of Raman lidar and a Nd:YAG laser (30 Hz, 950 mJ @ 1064 nm). Complementary in situ measurements are also performed with a sun-photometer (AERONET-NASA); UVA, UVB and GUV radiometers (Argentina Solar Monitoring Network), pyranometer and a pyrgeometer. Recent results and the synergy between the actives and passives instruments are showed.
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