Airborne Studies of Aerosols, Trace Gases, Stratus Clouds and Ice Leads in the North American Arctic

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This project is an airborne laser radar (Lidar) study of the characteristics of arctic haze and stratus clouds. It will focus specifically on aerosol and trace gas concentrations in the arctic atmosphere, and on the effects of combustion products, sulfur species (DMS), and water vapor generated locally and introduced at the surface. The lidar will be flown on board a WP-3D aircraft operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and a C-131A research aircraft operated by the University of Washington. The lidar will provide information on the spatial characteristics of arctic haze layers, the presence and height of the surface temperature inversion, and the size and spacing of cracks and open areas in the arctic sea ice. It does this through the observed backscatter characteristics of particles in conjunction with simultaneous supporting observations of the scattering function of the particles. The lidar is capable of resolving vertical structure on the order of ten meters, and horizontal structure on the order of one hundred meters, and has a demonstrated ability to observe the multiple laminated nature of arctic haze, particularly in summer when observations have heretofore been rare. Simultaneous dropwindsondes will indicate whether the haze layers are passively advected or if they are actively advecting into the surrounding air mass.