# Presentation: 135470

## Principal Investigator:

- Judd Welton, NASA GSFC Code 613.1
- Data Processing & Analysis:
- Larry Belcher, UMBC GSFC Code 613.1
- James Campbell, University of Alaska - Fairbanks
- Instrumentation & Network Management:
- Tim Berkoff, UMBC GSFC Code 613.1
- Sebastian Stewart, SSAI GSFC Code 613.1
- GLAS Validation Activities:
- Jim Spinhirne, NASA GSFC Code 613.1
- Judd Welton, Tim Berkoff
- CALIPSO Validation Activities:
- Judd Welton, Tim Berkoff, James Campbell
- AERONET & Synergy Tool Partnership:
- Brent Holben, NASA GSFC Code 614.4
- Dave Giles, NASA GSFC Code 614.4
- NASA SMART-COMMIT Field Deployments:
- Si-Chee Tsay, 613.2
- Jack Ji, 613.2
- Site Operations & Science Investigations
- .... many network partners around the world
- MPLNET is funded by the NASA Radiation Sciences
- Program and the Earth Observing System

_**MPLNET information and results shown here are the**_
_**result of efforts by all of our network partners!**_

## http://mplnet.gsfc.nasa.gov

***http://mplnet.gsfc.nasa.gov***

- MPLNET Sites:  2000 - current

## Micro Pulse Lidar Systems (MPL)

-   **GSFC Patent**
-   First commercial, autonomous, eye-safe aerosol & cloud lidar  (+50 sold worldwide)
-   523 or 527 nm wavelength
-   low energy, fast pulse rate
-   small FOV, no multiple scattering

- The MPL and MPLNET recently won a Technology Transfer award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium

## Lidar identifies the height, structure, and growth/decay of the planetary boundary layer (PBL)

-  The concentration of pollutants in the PBL, and its height, dictate surface air quality
-  The PBL controls the transfer of material and energy between the surface and troposphere.

## MPLNET Data Products:

- (new version 2 release)
- Level 1: Lidar Signals
-  1 minute, 75 meters
-  near real time - next day
- Level 1.5b:  Layer Heights
-  1 minute gridded product
-  near real time - next day

**** 1.5 products are not**
**       ****quality assured**

## MPLNET Data Products:

- (new version 2 release)
- Level 1: Lidar Signals
-  1 minute, 75 meters
-  near real time - next day
**Zoom in to 8 km**
- Level 1.5b:  Layer Heights
-  1 minute gridded product
-  near real time - next day
**Focus on PBL & Aerosols**

**** 1.5 products are not**
**       ****quality assured**

## MPLNET Data Products:

- Level 1.5a: Aerosol Properties
-  Retrievals at coincident AERONET AOD observations
-  near real time - next day
- Level 1.5a:  Gridded Aerosols
-  1 minute gridded product
-  AERONET calibrations extended to entire day of MPLNET data
-  near real time - next day

**** 1.5 products are not**
**       ****quality assured**

## MPLNET Data Products:

- Level 1.5a: Gridded Aerosols
-  Gridded products extend AOD into night
-  near real time - next day
-  PBL AOD contribution provided

**** 1.5 products are not**
**       ****quality assured**

## New MPLNET Cloud Products under development (level 1.5c):

**New MPLNET Cloud Products under development (level 1.5c):**
- (using new cloud heights from level 1.5b product)
-  Thick Cloud Properties
-  Optical depths from 20 - 100 using lidar background signal
-  Cloud base height from lidar active channel
-  Chiu & Marshak collaboration
-  Novel approach for lidar!
-  Polar Stratospheric Cloud Products
-  J. Campbell development during PhD at Univ. of Alaska
-  PSC heights, scattering ratios, and optical depth
-  Multi-year data records
-  long-term record of PSC height at South Pole (1999-current)

## Validation of MPLNET Aerosol Products

**How well do state-of-the-art techniques measuring the vertical profile of tropospheric aerosol extinction compare?**
- B. Schmid, R. Ferrare, C. Flynn, R. Elleman, D. Covert, A. Strawa, E. Welton, D. Turner, H. Jonsson, J. Redemann, J. Eilers, K. Ricci, A. G. Hallar, M. Clayton, J. Michalsky, A. Smirnov, B. Holben, and J. Barnard, *J. Geophys. Res*., 111, D05S07, doi:10.1029/2005JD005837, 2006.

- Aerosol Extinction & Optical Depth profiles compared in comprehensive study:
-  MPLNET (column AOT anchored to AERONET)
-  MPL from ARM
-  Airborne Ames Sunphotometer (AATS)
-  Airborne in-situ (nephelometer & absorption photometer)
-  Airborne cavity ring-down system (Cadenza)
-  Ground-based Raman lidar (CARL)

**AATS used as truth**
-  AATS is most direct measure of AOT profile
-  AATS Column AOT within 2% of AERONET

- AATS-14 shown above

## Using Lidar and Aerosol Transport Models to Study Long Range Transport:Canadian smoke over Washington DC in 2002 (A Code Red Event!)

- The ability of an aerosol plume to transport long distances is determined by its injection height relative to the local PBL. Models need help with emission functions.
- Wet deposition (cloud scavenging), dry deposition (fallout), and entrainment by the PBL all factor into long range impact of remote aerosol sources. Lidars track plume height and cloud interaction to provide input to models.

## 8 Years of Data

**8 Years of Data**
**From the South Pole!**

- Accomplishments:
- Blowing Snow Characteristics
- Polar Cloud Climatology
- Multi Year PSC Studies