Implementation of a Turn-Key Raman Lidar for Profiling Atmospheric Water Vapor and Aerosols at the US Southern Great Plains Climate Study Site

摘要

There are clearly identified scientific requirements for continuous profiling of atmospheric water vapor at the DOE ARM SGP CART site (Department of Energy, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, Southern Great Plains, Cloud and Radiation Testbed site). The suitability of Raman lidar for providing measurements that are an excellent match to those requirements has been demonstrated at several laboratories. We have developed and installed a ruggedized Raman lidar system that resides permanently at the CART site, and that is computer automated to eliminate the requirements for operator interaction. In addition to profiling water vapor through most of the troposphere during nighttime and through the boundary layer during daytime, the lidar provides quantitative characterizations of aerosols and clouds, including depolarization measurements for particle phase studies.