Aerosol climatology for the planetary boundary layer derived from regular lidar measurements

Regular aerosol extinction and backscatter measurements using a UV Raman Lidar have been performed for almost 3 years in Hamburg in the frame of the German Lidar Network. A set of 92 aerosol extinction and 164 aerosol backscatter profiles has been used for statistical investigations. Mean values and variances of the aerosol extinction and backscatter in the boundary layer have been calculated. Large fluctuations during the whole year have been found. The measured aerosol extinction over Hamburg shows a seasonal cycle with highest values in early fall and a second less prominent peak in spring. An analysis of the data using back trajectories showed a dependence of the aerosol extinction on the origin of the air mass. The residence time of the air mass over industrialized areas was found to be an important parameter for the measured aerosol extinction at Hamburg. However, only a small part of the total variability could be explained by the air mass origin. For 75 cases of aerosol extinction measurements under cloud-free conditions, the aerosol backscatter profile and therefore, the lidar ratio as a function of attitude could be determined. Winter measurements of the lidar ratio are often close to model results for maritime aerosol, the summer measurements are close to the model results for urban or continental aerosols. The high quality of the data has been proven by intercomparisons with other lidar systems and with star photometer measurements of the aerosol optical depth during the Lindenberg Aerosol Characterization Experiment (LACE'98) field campaign. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved