Observations of Aerosol Spatial Distribution and Emissions in New York City Using a Scanning Micro Pulse Lidar

Abstract

In order to better understand the behavior of particulate pollution and atmospheric dynamics in New York City, it is of great importance to analyze the spatial distribution of aerosols. A scanning lidar system allows for horizontal range-resolved observations of aerosol backscatter with high space and time resolution. A challenge to analyzing the lidar returns is to disentangle extinction over the range of the observations to retrieve the backscatter coefficient with distance. This work presents horizontal measurements taken with a scanning eye-safe Micro Pulse Lidar in New York City. The measurements are analyzed using the Slope Method to get an estimate of the range-resolved aerosol backscatter coefficient. The results are presented as backscatter coefficient maps that display the aerosol spatial distribution within the field of view of the scanning pattern deployed. These observations clearly resolve aerosol dynamics and emission sources within the urban areas.