RIVM stratospheric ozone LIDAR for NDSC Station Lauder, New Zealand. Final report

The development of a lidar system for stratospheric ozone profile measurements is described, as well as the implementation of the system in the International Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC). The instrument is designed to measure vertical profiles of stratospheric ozone concentrations in the altitude range of 15 to 45 kilometers. Upon completion, the systems performance has been successfully validated against balloon borne ECC ozone sondes from the Royal Dutch Meteorological Service (KNMI) and Brewer Mast ozone sondes from the Belgian Royal Meteorological Service. The system was shipped to New Zealand and installed at a measurement station in Lauder, New Zealand. Routine operation started November 1994. In April 1995 an intercomparison campaign was performed with a mobile ozone lidar, an ozone microwave instrument (both from NASA) and ECC sondes (from the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) in New Zealand). Although formally outside of the scope of this report, we like to mention that preliminary analysis from this campaign indicates good system performance, with some additional work still to be done on the algorithm for data analysis. Indications are that the system will have an operational range of 8 to 50 kilometers, with the lower limit still showing opportunity for downward extension. The full stratosphere and part of the upper troposphere are thus within reach of the system. Further work on the data-analysis is presently under way, and is expected to extend the systems capabilities to the measurement of temperature profiles in the altitude range of 25 to 65 kilometers, and aerosol profiles from 8 to 25 kilometers. Again, the lower limits of these ranges show opportunity for downward extension. 21 figs., 5 ills., 2 tabs., 24 refs.