Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Validation of the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment: stratospheric temperature and aerosol measurements

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

The Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) was flown on STS-64 in September 1994. The LITE employed a Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064, 532, and 355 nm to study the Earth’s lower atmosphere. In this paper we investigate the nighttime stratospheric aerosol and temperature measurements derived from the 532- and 355-nm channels. The observations are compared with lidar observations obtained at Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, and Starfire Optical Range, New Mexico, and with balloonsondes launched from the San Juan and Albuquerque airports. The backscatter ratios derived from the LITE and Arecibo data between 15 and 30 km differ by less than 5%. The Angstrom coefficients of the stratospheric aerosols derived from the 532- and 355-nm LITE channels exhibited only slight variation in altitude. The mean value between 15 and 30 km derived from three different orbital segments at approximately 20 °N and 35 °N was 1.7. The mean standard deviation was approximately 0.3. Temperature profiles were derived from the LITE data by correcting the 355-nm channel for aerosol scattering with the 532-nm signal and an assumed Angstrom coefficient. The rms differences between the corrected profiles and the balloonsonde data were as low as 2 K in the 15–30-km height range. The results were not particularly sensitive to the choice of the Angstrom coefficient and suggest that accurate temperature profiles can be derived from the LITE data in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere provided that the aerosol loading is light.

© 1997 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Mobile lidar for simultaneous measurements of ozone, aerosols, and temperature in the stratosphere

Osamu Uchino and Isao Tabata
Appl. Opt. 30(15) 2005-2012 (1991)

Temperature measurements made with a combined Rayleigh–Mie and Raman lidar

Michael R. Gross, Thomas J. McGee, Richard A. Ferrare, Upendra N. Singh, and Patrick Kimvilakani
Appl. Opt. 36(24) 5987-5995 (1997)

Dustsonde and Lidar Measurements of Stratospheric Aerosols: a Comparison

G. Burton Northam, James M. Rosen, S. Harvey Melfi, T. J. Pepin, M. P. McCormick, D. J. Hofmann, and William H. Fuller
Appl. Opt. 13(10) 2416-2421 (1974)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (11)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Tables (2)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article tables are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (16)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved