Coherence and Scale of Vertical Velocity in the Convective Boundary Layer from a Doppler Lidar

We utilized a Doppler lidar to measure integral scale and coherence of vertical velocity w in the daytime convective boundary layer (CBL). The high resolution 2 μm wavelength Doppler lidar developed by the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory was used to detect the mean radial velocity of aerosol particles. It operated continuously in the zenith-pointing mode for several days in the summer 1996 during the “Lidars in Flat Terrain” experiment over level farmland in central Illinois. We calculated profiles of w integral scales in both the alongwind and vertical directions from about 390 m height to the CBL top. In the middle of the mixed layer we found, from the ratio of the w integral scale in the vertical to that in the horizontal direction, that the w eddies are squashed by a factor of about 0.65 as compared to what would be the case for isotropic turbulence. Furthermore, there is a significant decrease of the vertical integral scale with height. The integral scale profiles and vertical coherence show that vertical velocity fluctuations in the CBL have a predictable anisotropic structure. We found no significant tilt of the thermal structures with height in the middle part of the CBL.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Doppler Lidar Measurements of Vertical Velocity Spectra in the Convective Planetary Boundary Layer

We utilized a Doppler lidar to measure spectra of vertical velocity w from 390m above the surface to the top of the daytime convective boundary layer (CBL). The high resolution 2μm wavelength Doppler lidar developed by the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory was used to detect the mean radial velocity of aerosol particles. It operated continuously during the daytime in the zenith-pointing mode for several days in summer 1996 during the Lidars-in-Flat-Terrain experiment over level farmland in central Illinois, U.S.A. The temporal resolution of the lidar was about 1 s, and the range-gate resolution was about 30m. The vertical cross-sections were used to calculate spectra as a function of height with unprecedented vertical resolution throughout much of the CBL, and, in general, we find continuity of the spectral peaks throughout the depth of the CBL. We compare the observed spectra with previous formulations based on both measurements and numerical simulations, and discuss the considerable differences, both on an averaged and a case-by-case basis. We fit the observed spectra to a model that takes into account the wavelength of the spectral peak and the curvature of the spectra across the transition from low wavenumbers to the inertial subrange. The curvature generally is as large or larger than the von Kármán spectra. There is large case-to-case variability, some of which can be linked to the mean structure of the CBL, especially the mean wind and the convective instability. We also find a large case-to-case variability in our estimates of normalized turbulent kinetic energy dissipation deduced from the spectra, likely due for the most part to a varying ratio of entrainment flux to surface flux. Finally, we find a relatively larger contribution to the low wavenumber region of the spectra in cases with smaller shear across the capping inversion, and suggest that this may be due partly to gravity waves in the inversion and overlying free atmosphere.     

A Comparison of Higher-Order Vertical Velocity Moments in the Convective Boundary Layer from Lidar with In Situ Measurements and Large-Eddy Simulation

We have analyzed measurements of vertical velocity w statistics with the NOAA high resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL) from about 390 m above the surface to the top of the convective boundary layer (CBL) over a relatively flat and uniform agricultural surface during the Lidars-in-Flat-Terrain (LIFT) experiment in 1996. The temporal resolution of the zenith-pointing lidar was about 1 s, and the range-gate resolution about 30 m. Vertical cross-sections of w were used to calculate second- to fourth-moment statistics of w as a function of height throughout most of the CBL. We compare the results with large-eddy simulations (LES) of the CBL and with in situ aircraft measurements. A major cause of the observed case-to-case variability in the vertical profiles of the higher moments is differences in stability. For example, for the most convective cases, the skewness from both LES and observations changes more with height than for cases with more shear, with the observations changing more with stability than the LES. We also found a decrease in skewness, particularly in the upper part of the CBL, with an increase in LES grid resolution.     

Can Water Vapour Raman Lidar Resolve Profiles of Turbulent Variables in the Convective Boundary Layer?

High-resolution water vapour measurements made by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Raman lidar operated at the Southern Great Plains Climate Research Facility site near Lamont, Oklahoma, U.S.A. are presented. Using a 2-h measurement period for the convective boundary layer (CBL) on 13 September 2005, with temporal and spatial resolutions of 10 s and 75 m, respectively, spectral and autocovariance analyses of water vapour mixing ratio time series are performed. It is demonstrated that the major part of the inertial subrange was detected and that the integral scale was significantly larger than the time resolution. Consequently, the major part of the turbulent fluctuations was resolved. Different methods to retrieve noise error profiles yield consistent results and compare well with noise profiles estimated using Poisson statistics of the Raman lidar signals. Integral scale, mixing-ratio variance, skewness, and kurtosis profiles were determined including error bars with respect to statistical and sampling errors. The integral scale ranges between 70 and 130 s at the top of the CBL. Within the CBL, up to the third order, noise errors are significantly smaller than sampling errors and the absolute values of turbulent variables, respectively. The mixing-ratio variance profile rises monotonically from ≈0.07 to ≈3.7 g² kg⁻² in the entrainment zone. The skewness is nearly zero up to 0.6 z/z _i , becomes −1 around 0.7–0.8 z/z _i , crosses zero at about 0.95 z/z _i , and reaches about 1.7 at 1.1 z/z _i (here, z is the height and z _i is the CBL depth). The noise errors are too large to derive fourth-order moments with sufficient accuracy. Consequently, to the best of our knowledge, the ARM Raman lidar is the first water vapour Raman lidar with demonstrated capability to retrieve profiles of turbulent variables up to the third order during daytime throughout the atmospheric CBL.     

基于风廓线雷达的对流边界层高度的确定

大气边界层高度对于天气、气候和大气污染研究是一个至关重要的参量。对流边界层(Convective Boundary Layer,CBL)顶部的夹卷过程造成温度和湿度垂直梯度增强,导致这一层的折射率结构常数C■变高。C■的这种垂直分布特征经常被用来定位出CBL高度Z_i。本文利用2010年7—8月天津大港的风廓线雷达数据推断出CBL高度Z_i,对于多重C■峰值或不明确的C■峰值,本文改进了对Z_i的测定,分别讨论了C■最大后向散射法与C■和垂直速度方差(σ■)相结合的新方法的适用性。研究显示:(1)C■廓线具有单峰时,最大后向散射强度法能正确估计CBL高度,这种情况往往对应的是晴天。CBL上存在的残留层或云层引起的温湿起伏变化导致C■廓线具有双峰甚至多峰时,最大后向散射强度法可能会错误估计CBL高度;(2)C■和σ■结合的方法不仅与晴天时C■最大后向散射法有较好的一致性,而且可以将CBL造成的C■峰值从云层造成的C■峰值中区分出来,从而正确估计CBL高度;(3)一般而言,对流边界层中存在有明显的、破碎或者分散不明显的云时,C■和σ■结合的方法都能较好地识别出CBL对应的C■峰值。但由于边界层中的情况极为复杂,C■和σ■结合法也会因不同的原因而错误估计CBL高度。     

A study of microphysical properties within a precipitation system using wind profiler spectra

This study investigates microphysical properties from wind profiler Doppler spectra observed within a precipitation system that produced high rainfall rates up to 40 mm hr^?1 near the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula on 25～26 June 2010. A 1290-MHz wind profiler located in the National Center for Intensive Observation of Severe Weather at Boseong, Korea, observed a widespread stratiform region and short-lived convective cells from 1850 UTC 25 to 0200 UTC 26 June 2010. By using a spectral model applied to observed profiler spectra, rainfall parameters and raindrop size distributions were retrieved below a melting layer during this period. Three representative periods during precipitation were selected based on intensities of bright band and characteristics in vertical profiles of radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity. During a brief convective period (～30 min), radar reflectivity tended to be proportional to vertical air motion (positive upward), suggesting that updrafts up to ～3 m s^?1 over a large vertical extent through the melting layer probably contributed to increasing rainfall rates at the surface. In reflectivityrainfall rate distributions, large drop spectra (high reflectivity) were analyzed within downdrafts and small drop spectra (low reflectivity) within updrafts, similar to the large and small drop spectra but found in stratiform and convective regions, respectively, in previous studies. This indicates that the degree of spread between reflectivity and rainfall rate may be strongly dependent on positive and negative magnitudes of vertical air motion. For three categories of vertical air motion (i.e., updrafts, neutral, and downdrafts), physical relations between the retrieved rainfall parameters were examined.     

Characteristics of vertical turbulent velocities in the urban convective boundary layer

Turbulence measurements of the vertical velocity component were obtained by an instrumented aircraft under fair weather conditions in the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area. Time series of vertical velocity fluctuations from horizontal flight segments made in the lower part of and near the middle of the convective boundary layer (CBL) over the urban area and surrounding region were subjected to various statistical and objective analyses. Higher order vertical velocity moments, and positive and negative velocity statistics, were computed. The horizontal dimensions of updrafts and downdrafts, and related properties of these turbulent eddies were derived by conditional sampling analysis. Emphasis is on a comparison of the results from urban and selected rural measurements from the lower part of the CBL.The vertical velocity probability density distribution for each segment was positively skewed and the mode was negative. The means and standard deviations of positive and negative velocity fluctuations were greater over the urban area. The urban vertical velocity variance was 50% greater than rural values, and power spectra revealed greater production of vertical turbulent energy in the urban area over a wide frequency range.The mean and maximum widths of downdrafts were generally larger than the corresponding values for updrafts. Differences between urban and rural eddy sizes were not statistically significant. The widths of the largest updraft and downdraft are comparable to the boundary-layer depth, Z _i, and the mean value of the ratio of spectral peak wavelength to Z _iwas about 1.3 and 1.1 for urban and rural areas, respectively. Convective similarity scaling parameters appeared to order both the urban and rural measurements.On assignment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.     

A 35-GHz Polarimetric Doppler Radar and Its Application for Observing Clouds Associated with Typhoon Nuri

Millimeter-wavelength radar has proved to be an effective instrument for cloud observation and research. In this study, 8-mm-wavelength cloud radar (MMCR) with Doppler and polarization capabilities was used to investigate cloud dynamics in China for the first time. Its design, system specifications, calibration, and application in measuring clouds associated with typhoon are discussed in this article. The cloud radar measurements of radar reflectivity (Z), Doppler velocity (Vr), velocity spectrum width (Sw) and the depolar-ization ratio (LDR) at vertical incidence were used to analyze the microphysical and dynamic processes of the cloud system and precipitation associated with Typhoon Nuri, which occurred in southern China in August 2008. The results show the reflectivity observed using MMCR to be consistent with the echo height and the melting-layer location data obtained by the nearby China S-band new-generation weather radar (SA), but the Ka-band MMCR provided more detailed structural information about clouds and weak precipitation data than did the SA radar. The variation of radar reflectivity and LDR in vertical structure reveals the transformation of particle phase from ice to water. The vertical velocity and velocity spectrum width of MMCR observations indicate an updraft and strong turbulence in the stratiform cloud layer. MMCR provides a valuable new technology for meteorological research in China.     

Flux Footprints in the Convective Boundary Layer: Large-Eddy Simulation and Lagrangian Stochastic Modelling

We investigated the flux footprints of receptors at different heights in the convective boundary layer (CBL). The footprints were derived using a forward Lagrangian stochastic (LS) method coupled with the turbulent fields from a large-eddy simulation model. Crosswind-integrated flux footprints shown as a function of upstream distances and sensor heights in the CBL were derived and compared using two LS particle simulation methods: an instantaneous area release and a crosswind linear continuous release. We found that for almost all sensor heights in the CBL, a major positive flux footprint zone was located close to the sensor upstream, while a weak negative footprint zone was located further upstream, with the transition band in non-dimensional upwind distances −X between approximately 1.5 and 2.0. Two-dimensional (2D) flux footprints for a point sensor were also simulated. For a sensor height of 0.158 z _i, where z _i is the CBL depth, we found that a major positive flux footprint zone followed a weak negative zone in the upstream direction. Two even weaker positive zones were also present on either side of the footprint axis, where the latter was rotated slightly from the geostrophic wind direction. Using CBL scaling, the 2D footprint result was normalized to show the source areas and was applied to real parameters obtained using aircraft-based measurements. With a mean wind speed in the CBL of U = 5.1 m s⁻¹, convective velocity of w _* = 1.37 m s⁻¹, CBL depth of z _i = 1,000 m, and flight track height of 159 m above the surface, the total flux footprint contribution zone was estimated to range from about 0.1 to 4.5 km upstream, in the case where the wind was perpendicular to the flight track. When the wind was parallel to the flight track, the total footprint contribution zone covered approximately 0.5 km on one side and 0.8 km on the other side of the flight track.     

Vertical velocity field in the convective boundary layer as observed with an acoustic Doppler sodar

The morning development of the daytime convective boundary layer (CBL) during fine weather has been observed with an acoustic Doppler sodar of the C.R.P.E. In particular, the vertical profile of the vertical velocity third-order statistic W* ³ has been obtained. This quantity is a maximum near 0.3z _I where z _I, is the height of the CBL. The histogram of vertical velocity in the CBL shows a relationship between W ³ and the convective velocity W _* and is useful for convective plume determination.     

A Case Study of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, CO and Particles Content Evolution in the Suburban Atmospheric Boundary Layer Using a 2-μm Doppler DIAL,a 1-μm Backscatter Lidar and an Array of In-situ Sensors

A network of remote and in-situ sensors was deployed in a Paris suburb in order to evaluate the mesoscale evolution of the daily cycle of CO₂ and related tracers in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and its relation to ABL dynamics and nearby natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks. A 2-μm heterodyne Doppler differential absorption lidar, which combines measurements of, (1) structure of the atmosphere, (2) radial velocity, and (3) CO₂ differential absorption was a particularly unique element of the observational array. We analyse the differences in the diurnal cycle of CO, CO₂, lidar reflectivity (a proxy for aerosol content) and H₂O using the lidar, airborne measurements in the free troposphere and ground-based measurements made at two sites located few kilometres apart. We demonstrate that vertical mixing dominates the early morning drawdown of CO and aerosol content trapped in the former nocturnal layer but not the H₂O and CO₂ mixing ratio variations. Surface fluxes, vertical mixing and advection all contribute to the ABL CO₂ mixing ratio decrease during the morning transition, with the relative importance depending on the rate and timing of ABL rise. We also show evidence that when the ABL is stable, small-scale (0.1-km vertical and 1-km horizontal) gradients of CO₂ and CO are large. The results illustrate the complexity of inferring surface fluxes of CO₂ from atmospheric budgets in the stable boundary layer.     

微降水雷达测量精度分析

利用数值模拟的方法,讨论了利用微降水雷达MRR(Micro Rain Radar)雷达功率谱密度反演降水参数时,MIE散射(米散射)效应、垂直气流(包括上升气流、下沉气流)对数浓度N、雷达反射率Z、雨强I、液态含水量LWC等参数的影响。MIE散射主要影响直径为1.20~4.00 mm的粒子,MIE散射效应影响的N、Z、I、LWC偏差的平均值分别为2.74 m-3 mm-1、1.47 d BZ、0.0061 mm h~(-1)、0.0004 g m-3。下沉气流使反演液滴直径偏大,上升气流使得反演的液滴直径偏小,下沉气流的影响更大,尤其是对低层影响大于高层。例如,在300 m高度上,当液滴直径为2.67 mm时,下沉气流为2.00 m s-1时,理论上反演的直径为8.07 mm,超出了MRR探测的阈值,其相对误差值能接近200%。下沉气流使得反射率谱向大粒子方向平移,且谱型展宽;上升气流则相反。将MRR资料与同步观测的THIES雨滴谱仪数据进行比对,分析MRR资料的可靠性。选取2015年4月1日01~12时(协调世界时)山东济南的一次降水过程,将MRR在300 m高度上反演的雷达反射率因子、雨强、数浓度、中值体积直径与雨滴谱仪资料进行对比。结果表明:两种仪器探测的Z、I、N、中值体积直径D0在时间序列上都有较好的吻合度,变化趋势和幅度相近,Z、I、D0的平均偏差分别为1.19 d BZ、0.34 mm h~(-1)、0.36 mm。MRR反演的I值偏大,而粒子直径偏小,分析了产生偏差的主要原因,除了探测系统偏差、分析方法本身存在的偏差外,上升气流导致的偏差不容忽视。这些结果初步验证了微降水雷达观测的功率谱密度及其反演方法的可靠性。     

Subfilter-Scale Modelling Using Transport Equations: Large-Eddy Simulation of the Moderately Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer

We perform large-eddy simulation (LES) of a moderately convective atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) using a prognostic subfilter-scale (SFS) model obtained by truncating the full conservation equations for the SFS stresses and fluxes. The truncated conservation equations contain production mechanisms that are absent in eddy-diffusivity closures and, thus, have the potential to better parametrize the SFS stresses and fluxes. To study the performance of the conservation-equation-based SFS closure, we compare LES results from the surface layer with observations from the Horizontal Array Turbulence Study (HATS) experiment. For comparison, we also show LES results obtained using an eddy-diffusivity closure. Following past studies, we plot various statistics versus the non-dimensional parameter, Λ _w /Δ, where Λ _w is the wavelength corresponding to the peak in the vertical velocity spectrum and Δ is the filter width. The LES runs are designed using different domain sizes, filter widths and surface fluxes, in order to replicate partly the conditions in the HATS experiment. Our results show that statistics from the different LES runs collapse reasonably and exhibit clear trends when plotted against Λ _w /Δ. The trends exhibited by the production terms in the modelled SFS conservation equations are qualitatively similar to those seen in the HATS data with the exception of SFS buoyant production, which is underpredicted. The dominant production terms in the modelled SFS stress and flux budgets obtained from LES are found to approach asymptotically constant values at low Λ _w /Δ. For the SFS stress budgets, we show that several of these asymptotes are in good agreement with their corresponding theoretical values in the limit Λ _w /Δ → 0. The modelled SFS conservation equations yield trends in the mean values and fluctuations of the SFS stresses and fluxes that agree better with the HATS data than do those obtained using an eddy-diffusivity closure. They, however, underpredict considerably the level of SFS anisotropy near the wall when compared to observations, which could be a consequence of the shortcomings in the model used for the pressure destruction terms. Finally, we address the computational cost incurred due to the use of additional prognostic equations.     

北京秋季一次降雪前污染天气的激光雷达观测研究

以2009年11月5~8日北京地区发生的一次特殊天气形势下的重污染天气过程为例,研究分析本次污染特点和大气边界层结构特征以及此天气过程的大气温度和相对湿度结构特点。激光雷达是探测大气边界层及气溶胶的一个高效工具,利用ALS300激光雷达系统测量信号,应用Fernald方法反演大气消光系数,根据反演的气溶胶消光系数的最大突变,即最大递减率的高度来确定大气边界层的高度。利用其观测的退偏比分析大气污染物特性。利用微波辐射计数据,确定大气温度和湿度时空特征。研究结果表明:在本次污染天气下,大气具有很强的逆温结构,逆温最大可达近1 K(100 m)-1,500 m以上的大气相对湿度很低,在这种天气特征下的大气边界层高度在400 m左右,非常稳定。污染结束降雪开始前,大气逆温结构消失,大气湿度大幅度增加,接近饱和。根据lidar(light detection and ranging)退偏比的分析,本次污染天气是一次典型的烟尘类颗粒物的污染,污染具有区域性特点。PM2.5(空气动力学当量直径小于等于2.5μm的颗粒物)与AOT(Aerosol Optical Thickness)之间有明显的线性关系,相关系数达到0.72。该lidar系统能够反演出秋季降雪前本次污染天气背景下北京城区上空的大气污染特性和大气边界层高度。     

Similarity scaling applied to sodar observations of the convective boundary layer above an irregular hill

Nine profiles of the temperature structure parameter C _T ² and the standard deviation of vertical velocity fluctuations ( _w) in the convective boundary layer (CBL) were obtained with a monostatic Doppler sodar during the second intensive field campaign of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment in 1987. The results were analyzed by using local similarity theory. Local similarity curves depend on four parameters: the height of the mixed layer (z _i ), the depth of the interfacial layer (), and the temperature fluxes at the top of the mixed layer (Q _i ) and the surface (Q _o). Values of these parameters were inferred from sodar data by using the similarity curve for C _T ² and observations at three points in its profile. The effects of entrainment processes on the profiles of C _T ² and _wnear the top of the CBL appeared to be described well by local similarity theory. Inferred estimates of surface temperature flux, however, were underestimated in comparison to fluxes measured by eddy correlation. The measured values of _wappeared to be slightly smaller than estimates based on available parmeterizations. These discrepancies might have been caused by experimental error or, more likely, by the distortion of turbulence structure above the site by flow over the nonuniform terrain at the observation site.     

Strong Updraft at a Sea-Breeze Front and Associated Vertical Transport of Near-Surface Dense Aerosol Observed by Doppler Lidar and Ceilometer

To study the wind field within the atmospheric boundary layer over the Tokyo metropolitan area, Doppler lidar observations were made 45 km north of Sagami Bay and 30 km west of Tokyo Bay, from 14 May to 15 June 2008. Doppler lidar on 27 May 2008 observed the vertical and horizontal wind structure of a well-developed sea-breeze front (SBF) penetrating from Sagami Bay. At the SBF, a strong updraft (maximum w approximately equal to 5 m s⁻¹) was formed with a horizontal scale of about 500 m and vertical scale of 2 km. The spatial relationship between the strong updraft over the nose of the SBF and prefrontal thermal suggests that the strong updraft was triggered by interaction between the SBF and the thermal. After the updraft commenced, a collocated ceilometer observed an intense aerosol backscatter up to 2 km above ground level. The observational results suggest that the near-surface denser aerosols trapped in the head region of the SBF escaped from the nose of the SBF and were then vertically transported up to the mixing height by the strong updraft at the SBF. This implies that these phenomena occurred not continuously but intermittently. The interaction situations between the SBF and prefrontal thermal can affect the wind structure at the SBF and the regional air quality.     

论边界层中的大气扩散PDF模式

基于大气扩散Ｋ理论，用作为风速脉动均方差和拉氏时间尺度函数的湍流交换系数，得到了直接利用风速脉动几率密度而不用扩散参数的大气扩散ＰＤＦ模式。分别研究了对流边界层上升气流区与下降区垂直速度的统计特征，求得双正态ＰＤＦ模式。在给定ＣＢＬ自身参数如对流特征速度ｗ＊，顶高ｈｉ和源高度上的平均风速时，该模式计算出的无量纲浓度分布与室内外测试结果一致。     

Observations of the Daytime Boundary Layer in Deep Alpine Valleys

Mixing depth structure and its evolution have been diagnosed from radar wind profiler data in the Chamonix and the Maurienne valleys (France) during summer 2003. The behaviour of refractive index structure parameter C _n ² peaks coupled with the vertical velocity variance σ _w ² was used to estimate the height of the mixed layer. Tethersonde vertical profiles were carried out to investigate the lower layers of the atmosphere in the range of approximately 400–500 m above ground level. The tethersonde device was especially useful to study the reversal of the valley wind system during the morning transition period. Specific features such as wind reversal and the convective mixed layer up to approximately the altitude of the surrounding mountains were documented. The wind reversal was observed to be much more sudden in the Maurienne valley than in the Chamonix valley     

Accuracy of the relaxed eddy-accumulation technique,evaluated using CO2 flux measurements

A system capable of measuring the fluxes of trace gases was developed. It is based on a simpler version of the eddy-accumulation technique (EA), known as the relaxed eddy-accumulation technique (REA). It accumulates air samples associated with updrafts and downdrafts at a constant flow rate in two containers for later analysis of the trace gas mean concentration. The flux integration is based on the durations of updraft and downdraft events, rather than on the vertical wind velocity (W) as is the case for EA and eddy-correlation (EC) techniques. The flux, calculated by the REA technique, is equal to the difference in the mean concentration of the trace gas of interest between the upward and downward moving eddies, multiplied by the standard deviation of the vertical wind velocity and an empirical coefficient. CO₂ fluxes measured for 162 half-hour periods over a soybean field by both EC and REA techniques showed excellent agreement (coefficient of determination,R ²=0.92). The slope (0.985) and the intercept (–0.042 mg m^–2 s^–1) were not significantly different from 1 and 0, respectively, at the 5% level; and the standard error of estimate was 0.074 mg m^–2 s^–1. It is also shown that the empirical coefficient can be calculated from either latent or sensible heat fluxes. A model describing the effect on this empirical coefficient of not sampling aroundW equal to zero is proposed.Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research Contribution No. 92-212.     

Airborne and lidar measurements of aerosol and cloud particles in the troposphere over Alert Canada in April 1986

As a component of the Canadian Arctic Haze Study, held coincident with the second Arctic Gas and Aerosol Sampling Program (AGASP II), vertical profiles of aerosol size distribution (0.17 m), light scattering parameters and cloud particle concentrations were obtained with an instrumented aircraft and ground-based lidar system during April 1986 at Alert. Northwest Territories. Average aerosol number concentrations range from about 200 cm^–3 over the Arctic ice cap to about 100 cm^–3 at 6 km. The aerosol size spectrum is virtually free of giant or coarse aerosol particles, and does not vary significantly with altitude. Most of the aerosol volume is concentrated in the 0.17–0.50 m size range, and the aerosol number concentration is found to be a good surrogate for the SO₄ ⁼ concentration of the Arctic haze aerosol. Comparison of the aircraft and lidar data show that, when iced crystal scattering is excluded, the aerosol light scattering coefficient and the lidar backscattering coefficient are proportional to the Arctic haze aerosol concentration. Ratios of scattering to backscattering, scattering to aerosol number concentration, and backscattering to aerosol number concentration are 15.3 steradians, 1.1×10^–13 m², and 4.8×10^–15 m² sr^–1, respectively. Aerosol scattering coefficients calculated from the measured size distributions using Mie scattering agree well with measured values. The calculations indicate the aerosol absorption optical depth over 6 km to range between 0.011 and 0.018. The presence of small numbers of ice crystals (10–20 crystals 1^–1 measured) increased light scattering by over a factor of ten.