TOLNET – A Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Profiling Network for Satellite Continuity and Process Studies

Abstract

Ozone lidars measure continuous, high-resolution ozone profiles critical for process studies and for satellite validation in the lower troposphere. However, the effectiveness of lidar validation by using single-station data is limited. Recently, NASA initiated an interagency ozone lidar observation network under the name TOLNet to promote cooperative multiple-station ozone-lidar observations to provide highly timeresolved (few minutes) tropospheric-ozone vertical profiles useful for air-quality studies, model evaluation, and satellite validation. This article briefly describes the concept, stations, major specifications of the TOLNet instruments, and data archiving.