Ground-based lidar for atmospheric boundary layer ozone measurements

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Environmental Monitoring
• Remote Sensing Technology

Background:

• Ground-based lidars are crucial for long-term ozone monitoring.
• Current systems struggle to measure ozone below 500 m above ground level (AGL) due to engineering and measurement error sensitivities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance ground-based lidar capabilities for high-temporal ozone profiling within the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL).
• To extend the lowest consistently achievable observation height for ground-based ozone lidar systems.

Main Methods:

• Developed an inexpensive and compact mini-receiver to augment a previous lidar system.
• Implemented new retrieval techniques for improved ozone measurement accuracy.
• Focused on high-temporal resolution profiling within the ABL.

Main Results:

• Achieved the lowest consistently observable height of 125 m above ground level (AGL) for a ground-based ozone lidar.
• Demonstrated ozone measurement precision generally better than ±10%.
• Obtained vertical resolution from 150 m at the ABL bottom to 550 m at the top with a 10-min temporal resolution.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced lidar system significantly improves ozone profiling in the lower ABL.
• Preliminary measurements show the impact of surface emissions and ABL evolution on ozone distribution.
• This technology offers a valuable tool for detailed atmospheric boundary layer studies.