2017, Tsekeri, Alexandra, Lopatin, Anton, Amiridis, Vassilis, Marinou, Eleni, Igloffstein, Julia, Siomos, Nikolaos, Solomos, Stavros, Kokkalis, Panagiotis, Engelmann, Ronny, Baars, Holger, Gratsea, Myrto, Raptis, Panagiotis I., Binietoglou, Ioannis, Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos, Kalivitis, Nikolaos, Kouvarakis, Giorgos, Bartsotas, Nikolaos, Kallos, George, Basart, Sara, Schuettemeyer, Dirk, Wandinger, Ulla, Ansmann, Albert, Chaikovsky, Anatoli P., Dubovik, Oleg

The Generalized Aerosol Retrieval from Radiometer and Lidar Combined data algorithm (GARRLiC) and the LIdar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) provide the opportunity to study the aerosol vertical distribution by combining ground-based lidar and sun-photometric measurements. Here, we utilize the capabilities of both algorithms for the characterization of Saharan dust and marine particles, along with their mixtures, in the south-eastern Mediterranean during the CHARacterization of Aerosol mixtures of Dust and Marine origin Experiment (CHARADMExp). Three case studies are presented, focusing on dust-dominated, marinedominated and dust-marine mixing conditions. GARRLiC and LIRIC achieve a satisfactory characterization for the dust-dominated case in terms of particle microphysical properties and concentration profiles. The marine-dominated and the mixture cases are more challenging for both algorithms, although GARRLiC manages to provide more detailed microphysical retrievals compared to AERONET, while LIRIC effectively discriminates dust and marine particles in its concentration profile retrievals. The results are also compared with modelled dust and marine concentration profiles and surface in situ measurements.

2018, Belegante, Livio, Bravo-Aranda, Juan Antonio, Freudenthaler, Volker, Nicolae, Doina, Nemuc, Anca, Ene, Dragos, Alados-Arboledas, Lucas, Amodeo, Aldo, Pappalardo, Gelsomina, D'Amico, Giuseppe, Amato, Francesco, Engelmann, Ronny, Baars, Holger, Wandinger, Ulla, Papayannis, Alexandros, Kokkalis, Panos, Pereira, Sérgio N.

Particle depolarization ratio retrieved from lidar measurements are commonly used for aerosol-typing studies, microphysical inversion, or mass concentration retrievals. The particle depolarization ratio is one of the primary parameters that can differentiate several major aerosol components but only if the measurements are accurate enough. The accuracy related to the retrieval of particle depolarization ratios is the driving factor for assessing and improving the uncertainties of the depolarization products. This paper presents different depolarization calibration procedures used to improve the quality of the depolarization data. The results illustrate a significant improvement of the depolarization lidar products for all the selected lidar stations that have implemented depolarization calibration procedures. The calibrated volume and particle depolarization profiles at 532-nm show values that fall within a range that is generally accepted in the literature.

2018, Baars, Holger, Althausen, Dietrich, Engelmann, Ronny, Heese, Birgit, Ansmann, Albert, Wandinger, Ulla, Hofer, Julian, Skupin, Annett, Komppula, Mika, Giannakaki, Eleni, Filioglou, Maria, Bortoli, Daniele, Silva, Ana Maria, Pereira, Sergio, Stachlewska, Iwona S., Kumala, Wojciech, Szczepanik, Dominika, Amiridis, Vassilis, Marinou, Eleni, Kottas, Michail, Mattis, Ina, Müller, Gerhard, Nicolae, D., Makoto, A., Vassilis, A., Balis, D., Behrendt, A., Comeron, A., Gibert, F., Landulfo, E., McCormick, M.P., Senff, C., Veselovskii, I., Wandinger, U.

PollyNET is a network of portable, automated, and continuously measuring Ramanpolarization lidars of type Polly operated by several institutes worldwide. The data from permanent and temporary measurements sites are automatically processed in terms of optical aerosol profiles and displayed in near-real time at polly.tropos.de. According to current schedules, the network will grow by 3-4 systems during the upcoming 2-3 years and will then comprise 11 permanent stations and 2 mobile platforms.

2017, Baars, Holger, Seifert, Patric, Engelmann, Ronny, Wandinger, Ulla

Absolute calibrated signals at 532 and 1064 nm and the depolarization ratio from a multiwavelength lidar are used to categorize primary aerosol but also clouds in high temporal and spatial resolution. Automatically derived particle backscatter coefficient profiles in low temporal resolution (30 min) are applied to calibrate the lidar signals. From these calibrated lidar signals, new atmospheric parameters in temporally high resolution (quasi-particle-backscatter coefficients) are derived. By using thresholds obtained from multiyear, multisite EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network) measurements, four aerosol classes (small; large, spherical; large, non-spherical; mixed, partly nonspherical) and several cloud classes (liquid, ice) are defined. Thus, particles are classified by their physical features (shape and size) instead of by source. The methodology is applied to 2 months of continuous observations (24 h a day, 7 days a week) with the multiwavelength-Raman-polarization lidar PollyXT during the High-Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction (HD(CP)2) Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) in spring 2013. Cloudnet equipment was operated continuously directly next to the lidar and is used for comparison. By discussing three 24 h case studies, it is shown that the aerosol discrimination is very feasible and informative and gives a good complement to the Cloudnet target categorization. Performing the categorization for the 2-month data set of the entire HOPE campaign, almost 1 million pixel (5 min×30 m) could be analysed with the newly developed tool. We find that the majority of the aerosol trapped in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) was composed of small particles as expected for a heavily populated and industrialized area. Large, spherical aerosol was observed mostly at the top of the PBL and close to the identified cloud bases, indicating the importance of hygroscopic growth of the particles at high relative humidity. Interestingly, it is found that on several days non-spherical particles were dispersed from the ground into the atmosphere.

2018, Jimenez, Cristofer, Ansmann, Albert, Donovan, David, Engelmann, Ronny, Schmidt, Jörg, Wandinger, Ulla, Nicolae, D., Makoto, A., Vassilis, A., Balis, D., Behrendt, A., Comeron, A., Gibert, F., Landulfo, E., McCormick, M.P., Senff, C., Veselovskii, I., Wandinger, U.

Since 2010, the Raman dual-FOV lidar system permits the retrieval of microphysical properties of liquid-water clouds during nighttime. A new robust lidar depolarization approach was recently introduced, which permits the retrieval of these properties as well, with high temporal resolution and during daytime. To implement this approach, the lidar system was upgraded, by adding a three channel depolarization receiver. The first preliminary retrieval results and a comparison between both methods is presented.

2018, Tsekeri, Alexandra, Amiridis, Vassilis, Lopatin, Anton, Marinou, Eleni, Giannakaki, Eleni, Pikridas, Michael, Sciare, Jean, Liakakou, Eleni, Gerasopoulos, Evangelos, Duesing, Sebastian, Corbin, Joel C., Gysel, Martin, Bukowiecki, Nicolas, Baars, Holger, Engelmann, Ronny, Wehner, Birgit, Kottas, Michael, Mamali, Dimitra, Kokkalis, Panagiotis, Raptis, Panagiotis I., Stavroulas, Iasonas, Keleshis, Christos, Müller, Detlef, Solomos, Stavros, Binietoglou, Ioannis, Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos, Papayannis, Alexandros, Stachlewska, Iwona S., Igloffstein, Julia, Wandinger, Ulla, Ansmann, Albert, Dubovik, Oleg, Goloub, Philippe, Nicolae, D., Makoto, A., Vassilis, A., Balis, D., Behrendt, A., Comeron, A., Gibert, F., Landulfo, E., McCormick, M.P., Senff, C., Veselovskii, I., Wandinger, U.

Aerosol absorption profiling is crucial for radiative transfer calculations and climate modelling. Here, we utilize the synergy of lidar with sun-photometer measurements to derive the absorption coefficient and single scattering albedo profiles during the ACTRIS-2 campaigns held in Germany, Greece and Cyprus. The remote sensing techniques are compared with in situ measurements in order to harmonize and validate the different methodologies and reduce the absorption profiling uncertainties.

2018, Ansmann, Albert, Baars, Holger, Chudnovsky, Alexandra, Mattis, Ina, Veselovskii, Igor, Haarig, Moritz, Seifert, Patric, Engelmann, Ronny, Wandinger, Ulla

Light extinction coefficients of 500 Mm1, about 20 times higher than after the Pinatubo volcanic eruptions in 1991, were observed by European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) lidars in the stratosphere over central Europe on 21-22 August 2017. Pronounced smoke layers with a 1-2 km vertical extent were found 2-5 km above the local tropopause. Optically dense layers of Canadian wildfire smoke reached central Europe 10 days after their injection into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere which was caused by rather strong pyrocumulonimbus activity over western Canada. The smoke-related aerosol optical thickness (AOT) identified by lidar was close to 1.0 at 532 nm over Leipzig during the noon hours on 22 August 2017. Smoke particles were found throughout the free troposphere (AOT of 0.3) and in the pronounced 2 km thick stratospheric smoke layer at an altitude of 14-16 km (AOT of 0.6). The lidar observations indicated peak mass concentrations of 70-100 μgm-3 in the stratosphere. In addition to the lidar profiles, we analyzed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire radiative power (FRP) over Canada, and the distribution of MODIS AOT and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index across the North Atlantic. These instruments showed a similar pattern and a clear link between the western Canadian fires and the aerosol load over Europe. In this paper, we also present Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun photometer observations, compare photometer and lidar-derived AOT, and discuss an obvious bias (the smoke AOT is too low) in the photometer observations. Finally, we compare the strength of this recordbreaking smoke event (in terms of the particle extinction coefficient and AOT) with major and moderate volcanic events observed over the northern midlatitudes.

2018, Proestakis, Emmanouil, Amiridis, Vassilis, Kottas, Michael, Marinou, Eleni, Binietoglou, Ioannis, Ansmann, Albert, Wandinger, Ulla, Yorks, John, Nowottnick, Edward, Makhmudov, Abduvosit, Papayannis, Alexandros, Pietruczuk, Aleksander, Gialitaki, Anna, Apituley, Arnoud, Muñoz-Porcar, Constantino, Bortoli, Daniele, Dionisi, Davide, Althausen, Dietrich, Mamali, Dimitra, Balis, Dimitris, Nicolae, Doina, Tetoni, Eleni, Luigi Liberti, Gian, Baars, Holger, Stachlewska, Iwona S., Voudouri, Kalliopi-Artemis, Mona, Lucia, Mylonaki, Maria, Rita Perrone, Maria, João Costa, Maria, Sicard, Michael, Papagiannopoulos, Nikolaos, Siomos, Nikolaos, Burlizzi, Pasquale, Engelmann, Ronny, Abdullaev, Sabur F., Hofer, Julian, Pappalardo, Gelsomina, Nicolae, D., Makoto, A., Vassilis, A., Balis, D., Behrendt, A., Comeron, A., Gibert, F., Landulfo, E., McCormick, M.P., Senff, C., Veselovskii, I., Wandinger, U.

The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) onboard the International Space Station (ISS), is a lidar system providing vertically resolved aerosol and cloud profiles since February 2015. In this study, the CATS aerosol product is validated against the aerosol profiles provided by the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET). This validation activity is based on collocated CATS-EARLINET measurements and the comparison of the particle backscatter coefficient at 1064nm.