Atmospheric profiling based on aerosol and Doppler lidar

Abstract

The observation and study of the Earth’s atmosphere have become of increasing concern because of the interest on weather prediction, air quality and climate change. Among all the atmospheric components and processes related to those topics, atmospheric aerosol particles (defined as solid and/or liquid particles suspended on the atmospheric air, excluding clouds) and the dynamic and turbulent properties of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL, the lowermost part of the atmosphere, that is directly influenced by the Earth’s surface) represent two of the most active research fields due to the lack of knowledge about the uncertainties of their effects. For Granada and Rzecin sites, where the available databases were of two years and four months, respectively, we have been able to perform a statistical analysis of the main turbulent sources within those analyzed periods, with temporal (for each hour of the day) and height resolution. A seasonal distinction has been done only for Granada. Both sites show a clear convective activity during daytime at altitudes increasing with time, and a significant wind-shear driven turbulence during nighttime, in special in Rzecin. We have also found at both sites an important contribution of nocturnal turbulence with unknown sources (labelled as ‘intermittent’) although in Rzecin it is mostly concentrated around 600 m a.g.l., while in Granada it is present at all heights.