Stratospheric Clouds at South Pole During 1988 1. Results of Lidar Observations and Their Relationship to Temperature

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Fiocco G., M. Cacciani, D. Fuà, J. Deluisi, DI GIROLAMO, Paolo
• Other Authors: Fiocco, G., M., Cacciani, D., Fuà, J., Deluisi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Amundsen Scott South Pole Station; Amundsen-Scott; Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11563/2170; https://doi.org/10.1029/91JD03124

An optical radar—lidar—has been operational at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station since summer 1987–1988. The observations were specially directed to the detection of aerosol layers and polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). The lidar utilized a Nd-YAG laser followed by a second harmonic generator, and a 0.5-m diameter Cassegrain receiving telescope. Results obtained during the period May-October 1988 are summarized. Some 10,000 profiles of the lidar echoes, each the result of 1-min averaging, were obtained. Data sets consisting of profiles of the scattering ratio and of the backscattering cross section B a , based on half-hour averaging, are presented. The data can be related to profiles of the atmospheric temperature T, usually obtained on a daily basis at South Pole. Stratifications appear to have two distinct types of structures: one structure shows only a modest variation with height; the other is characterized by sharp features, with large changes of the cross section with height. The basic results, the relationship between B a and T, and their statistical relevance are considered in this paper. The microphysical interpretation, the attribution of these structures to PSC Type I and Type II, respectively involving the condensation of nitric acid trihydrate and of water ice, and the seasonal evolution of the phenomena are treated in a companion paper.