Aerosol lidar intercomparison in the framework of the EARLINET project. 1. Instruments

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Remote Sensing
• Aerosol Physics

Background:

• The European Aerosol Research Lidar Network to Establish an Aerosol Climatology (EARLINET) initiative aims to create a comprehensive aerosol climatology.
• Standardization and quality assurance of aerosol measurements are crucial for climate research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of 19 aerosol lidar systems from 11 European countries.
• To ensure the quality and reliability of aerosol backscatter and extinction coefficient measurements.
• To establish a robust dataset for aerosol climatology within the EARLINET framework.

Main Methods:

• Intercomparison of aerosol lidar systems measuring extinction and backscatter coefficients.
• Utilized Raman lidar for UV extinction coefficients and elastic lidar for backscatter profiles at multiple wavelengths (351/355, 532, 1064 nm).
• Comparison with sunphotometer and starphotometer measurements, applying predefined quality control limits.

Main Results:

• Aerosol extinction and backscatter profiles were compared across different atmospheric layers (planetary boundary layer and free troposphere).
• All participating lidar systems successfully met the quality assurance criteria after necessary modifications.
• Typical deviations between aerosol backscatter profiles were found to be 10% in the planetary boundary layer and 0.1 x 10(-6) m(-1) sr(-1) in the free troposphere.

Conclusions:

• The intercomparison demonstrated the capability of the EARLINET network to provide high-quality aerosol data.
• Modifications to some lidar systems were necessary to meet performance standards.
• The study established confidence in the aerosol backscatter profile measurements for climatological studies.