Iaoos Observations of Aerosols and Clouds in the High Arctic by Autonomous Drifting Lidar Platforms

Abstract

New drifting platforms have been deployed within the French project IAOOS (Ice-Atmosphere-Ocean Observing System) in the Arctic since 2014. Radiation and meteorological parameters are measured at the surface and profiles of aerosol and cloud properties are obtained with autonomous backscatter lidar systems. These platforms are indeed equipped for ocean-ice-atmosphere studies over the Arctic to better understand processes and interactions controlling sea-ice changes [1]. As stations in the Arctic are sparse, they can also be used as reference measurements for satellite observations. They are deployed in the Arctic almost every year and allow to perform regular measurements of the vertical structure and optical properties of the atmosphere in complement to satellite observations. Other data on snow, ice and ocean are simultaneously measured. Comparisons were made with CALIPSO/CALIOP observations. Measurements on the atmosphere are presented and results are discussed.