Three methods of analyzing Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II tropospheric aerosol extinction data are described and intercompared in terms of global maps and vertical contour plots of the extinction coefficient, or its equivalent. The first method, which has been in use for several years, is found to be biased toward smaller aerosols (effective radius < about 0.25 μm), while the second more recently developed method characterizes the distribution of larger aerosols (effective radius > 0.25 μm). The third method which, unlike the first two methods, is capable of producing an altitude resolved aerosol climatology down to about 1 km above the earth's surface, requires an assumption about the amount of cloud contamination in the data set. Given the correctness of this assumption, the method is able to derive the total extinction due to both large and small aerosols. Aerosol climatologies produced by all three methods are shown and intercompared, with particular emphasis on the lofting of dust from Asian and other Northern Hemisphere deserts and its subsequent advection over the western Pacific Ocean.
Recently NASA Langley Research Center's (LaRC) Aerosol Research Branch conducted an aircraft exhaust particle experiment involving tow ground based lidar systems and NASA's B737-100, T39 and OV10 aircraft. The experiment took place at LaRC in February and March of 1996. During flight, exhaust particles exiting the two wing-mounted engines of the B737 become quickly entrained into the aircraft's wingtip vortices. The LaRC lidar systems were used to measure the distribution and optical properties of these exhaust particles as the B737 overflew the lidar facility. Two lidar systems, located in a common facility, were utilized for this experiment. One system was a fixed zenith- viewing lidar with a 48-inch receiver and a 2J transmitter, and the second was a scanning lidar with a 14-inch receiver and a 600 mJ transmitter. Two measurement geometries were employed for the experiment. In the first geometry, the B737 flew upwind of the lidar facility and perpendicular to the ambient wind. The second design had the aircraft fly directly over the facility, and parallel to the ambient wind.Under either scenario data were acquired at 20 and 30 Hertz, by the fixed zenith and scanning system respectively, as the ambient wind carried the vortex pair across the field of view of the lidars. The two supporting aircraft were used to collect in-situ particle data and to measure atmospheric turbulence, respectively. In this paper all aspects of the experiment will be discussed including the lidar systems, the geometry of the experiment, and the aircraft used. Also, selected data obtained during the experiment will be presented.
The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II solar occultation instrument has been making measurements on stratospheric aerosols and gases continually since October 1984. Observations from the SAGE II instrument provide a valuable long-term data set for study of the aerosol in the stratosphere and aerosol and cloud in the upper troposphere. The period of observation covers the decay phase of material injected by the El Chichon volcanic eruption in 1982, the years 1988 - 1990 when stratospheric aerosol levels approached background levels, and the period after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The Mount Pinatubo eruption caused the largest perturbation in stratospheric aerosol loading in this century, with effects on stratospheric dynamics and chemistry. The SAGE II data sequence shows the global dispersion of aerosols following the Mount Pinatubo eruption, as well as the changes occurring in stratospheric aerosol mass and surface area. The downward transfer of stratospheric aerosols into the upper troposphere following the earlier eruption of El Chichon is clearly visible. Estimates have been made of the amount of volcanic material lying in the upper troposphere and the way in which this varies with latitude and season.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.