Mary T. Osborn

A model for the separation of cloud and aerosol in SAGE II occultation data

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II satellite experiment measures the extinction due to aerosols and thin cloud, at wavelengths of 0.525 and 1.02 μm, down to an altitude of 6 km. The wavelength dependence of the extinction due to aerosols differs from that of the extinction due to cloud and is used as the basis of a model for separating these two components. The model is presented and its validation using airborne lidar data, obtained coincident with SAGE II observations, is described. This comparison shows that smaller SAGE II cloud extinction values correspond to the presence of subvisible cirrus cloud in the lidar record. Examples of aerosol and cloud data products obtained using this model to interpret SAGE II upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric data are also shown.

In Situ Observations of Aerosol and Chlorine Monoxide After the 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo: Effect of Reactions on Sulfate Aerosol

Highly resolved aerosol size distributions measured from high-altitude aircraft can be used to describe the effect of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo on the stratospheric aerosol. In some air masses, aerosol mass mixing ratios increased by factors exceeding 100 and aerosol surface area concentrations increased by factors of 30 or more. Increases in aerosol surface area concentration were accompanied by increases in chlorine monoxide at mid-latitudes when confounding factors were controlled. This observation supports the assertion that reactions occurring on the aerosol can increase the fraction of stratospheric chlorine that occurs in ozone-destroying forms.

Lidar conversion parameters derived from SAGE II extinction measurements

SAGE II multiwavelength aerosol extinction measurements are used to estimate mass- and extinction-to-backscatter conversion parameters. The basis of the analysis is the principal component analysis of the SAGE II extinction kernels to estimate both total aerosol mass and aerosol backscatter at a variety of wavelengths. Comparisons of coincident SAGE II extinction profiles with 0.694-μm aerosol backscatter profiles demonstrate the validity of the method.

Evolution of the Pinatubo volcanic cloud over Hampton, Virginia

A ground-based lidar system at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has monitored the stratospheric aerosol vertical distribution and loading since 1974. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991 produced the largest enhancement of stratospheric aerosol loading ever observed by lidar over this mid-latitude location. Low altitude layers (<20 km) were the first to arrive over Hampton in early August, the result of transport associated with a tropospheric anticyclonic cell over North America. The maximum peak scattering ratio, 34 at 22.4 km, and the maximum stratospheric integrated backscatter of 0.0053 sr−1, both at 694 nm, observed since the eruption were measured on February 20, 1992. After decreasing during the spring and summer of 1992, the aerosol burden increased significantly during the winter of 1992–3, evidence of poleward winter transport from the equatorial reservoir. Over the period from February 1992 to February 1994, the stratospheric aerosol loading decreased with an average 1/e decay time of 10.1 months. The vertical distribution, intensity, and transport of Pinatubo aerosols over Hampton, Virginia, are described in detail and compared with similar measurements after El Chichon.

Relationships between optical extinction, backscatter and aerosol surface and volume in the stratosphere following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo

The eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines in June 1991 has resulted in increases in the surface and mass concentrations of aerosol particles in the lower stratosphere. Airborne measurements made at midlatitudes between 15 and 21 km from August 1991 to March 1992 show that, prior to December 1991, the Pinatubo aerosol cloud varied widely in microphysical properties such as size distribution, number, surface and volume concentrations and was also spatially variable. Aerosol surface area concentration was found to be highly correlated to extinction at visible and near-infrared wavelengths throughout the measurement period. Similarly, backscatter at common lidar wavelengths was a good predictor of aerosol volume concentrations. These results support the use of satellite extinction measurements to estimate aerosol surface and of lidar measurements to estimate aerosol volume or mass if temporal changes in the relationships between the variables are considered.

Stratospheric aerosol measurements by the Lidar in Space Technology Experiment

The Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) is a three-wavelength backscatter lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center to demonstrate and explore the capabilities of space lidar. LITE was flown on space shuttle Discovery in September 1994. Among the primary experimental objectives of LITE was the measurement of stratospheric aerosols. High-quality stratospheric aerosol measurements at 532 nm and 355 nm were obtained during nighttime, high-gain operation. These LITE data provide a detailed global view of the vertical structure and optical properties of the stratospheric aerosols. The data are also used to study the transport processes influencing the aerosol spatial distribution. LITE data compare well with measurements made by the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II. Individual profile comparisons and comparisons of more global features reinforce and extend the validation of the LITE stratospheric data. LITE demonstrates that a spaceborne lidar, with its high vertical resolution and global coverage, is a powerful tool for tracing atmospheric transport.

LITE Measurements of Aerosols in the Stratosphere and Upper Troposphere

The Lidar-In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) has been used to study stratospheric aerosols over the Atlantic Ocean and elevated tropospheric aerosol layers in the Southern Hemisphere. Stratospheric aerosols showed distinct geographical variations and were still (September 1994) dominated by the lingering presence of aerosol from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. The upper tropospheric aerosol layers are thought to originate primarily as smoke from biomass burning.

Twenty-six years of lidar monitoring of northern midlatitude stratospheric aerosols

Aerosols in the upper troposphere and low stratosphere have been monitored continuously during the past 26 years by a ground-based lidar system at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The measurements were started in 1974 to support NASAs ongoing atmospheric research programs, and have produced one of the worlds longest continuous lidar records on northern mid- latitude aerosols. The 26-year record spans periods during which the stratospheric aerosol loading was greatly enhanced by highly explosive volcanic eruptions including, Fuego in 1974, El Chichon in 1982, and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, each of which injected enormous quantities of aerosols and gases into the stratosphere. These lidar observations of volcanic aerosol plumes in the stratosphere over long time periods have provided insight into their potential impact on global climate and other atmospheric processes.

Recent modifications, enhancements, and measurements with an airborne lidar system

The NASA Langley Research Centers 14-inch airborne aerosol lidar system, which is routinely flown on several NASA aircraft including the DC-8 and the P-3, has been upgraded with several modifications to enhance its measurement capabilities. A new 900 mJ, 10 pps Nd:YAG laser was added with the capability of producing 5 watts of power at 1064 nm, 2.5 watts at 532 nm and 1.5 watts at 355 nm. The existing detector package has been modified to accommodate the three wavelengths and to permit cross-polarization measurements at 532 nm. New software was developed for on- line data visualization and analysis, and computer- controlled laser alignment is being incorporated. The system is now capable of producing real-time color modulated backscatter plots. Other additions include a Pentium/90 processor, GPS (Global Positioning System) and ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Inc.) receivers for acquiring accurate aircraft position data. In 1992 and 1993 this system was flown on several airborne missions to map and characterize the stratospheric aerosol cloud produced by the 1991 eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano. Efforts to map the global distribution of Pinatubo were made on both daytime as well as nighttime flights from Moffett Field in California to the South Pacific, to Central and South America, to Australia and to Alaska. In September 1994, the system (aboard NASAs P-3) made correlative measurements along shuttle orbit ground tracks in support of the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment flown on the Space Shuttle. In this paper the system upgrades will be discussed and selected data obtained during these recent airborne campaigns will be presented.

Lidar monitoring of stratospheric aerosols at Hampton, Virginia

Recent lidar measurements at Hampton, Virginia (37.1N, 76.3W) indicate that the current mid-latitude stratospheric aerosol level, after recovery from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, is lower than the background level measure during the vocanically quiescent period in 1979. This suggests that perhaps the natural stratospheric aerosol background may be lower than previously thought. Volcanically inactive periods, such as the periods after the 1982 El Chichon eruption and again after the 1991 Pinatubo eruption, provide opportunities to study long-term trends in volcanic aerosol decay. And, the present state of very low aerosol loading in the stratosphere, provides opportunities to study and gain a better understanding of the natural background aerosol.