Size distribution time series of a polar stratospheric cloud observed above Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research (ALOMAR) (69°N) and analyzed from multiwavelength lidar measurements during winter 2005

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Jumelet, Julien, Bekki, Slimane, David, Christine, Keckhut, Philippe, Baumgarten, G.
• Other Authors: STRATO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Leibniz-Institut für Atmosphärenphysik (IAP), Universität Rostock-Leibniz Association, European Union (GEMS project), European Project: GEMS, European Project: GEOMON
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2009
• Subjects: Polar Stratospheric Cloud; Size distribution; Lidar; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph]; Alomar; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00355219; https://hal.science/hal-00355219/document; https://hal.science/hal-00355219/file/Jumelet_et_al-2009-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Solid_Earth_%281978-2012%29.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010119

International audience A case study of a polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) is described using multiwavelength(355, 532, and 1064 nm) lidar measurements performed at the Arctic Lidar Observatoryfor Middle Atmosphere Research (ALOMAR) on 6 December 2005. Rotational Ramansignals at 529 and 530 nm are used to derive a temperature field within the cloud using therotational Raman technique (RRT). The PSC size distributions are retrieved between1500 and 2000 UTC through a combination of statistical filtering and best matchapproaches. Several PSC types were detected between 22 and 26 km during themeasurement session. Liquid ternary aerosols are identified before about 1600 and after1900 UTC typically; their averaged retrieved size distribution parameters andassociated errors at the backscatter peak are: No 1–10 cm3 (50%), rm 0.15 mm(20%), and s 1.2 (15%). A mode of much larger particles is detected between 1600 and1900 UTC (No 0.04 cm3 (30%), rm 1.50 mm (15%), and s 1.37 (10%). Thedifferent PSC types are also identified using standard semiempirical classifications, basedon lidar backscatter, temperature, and depolarization. Overall, the characteristics of theretrieved size distributions are consistent with these classifications. They all suggest thatthese very large particles are certainly nitric acid trihydrate that could have been generatedby the strong gravity wave activity visible in the temperature profiles. The resultsdemonstrate that multiwavelength lidar data coupled to both RRT temperatures and oursize distribution retrieval can provide useful additional information for identification ofPSC types and for direct comparisons with microphysical model simulations.