Investigation of High Altitude, Long-term Aerosol Features Using Laser Radar and Wind Measurements

Measurements of the atmosphere were taken over several years using a CCD camera Lidar with wide angle optics and laser line filter on Mauna Loa Observatory, a world premier atmospheric baseline station. A 532-nm laser was vertically transmitted and the scatter off clouds, aerosols, and air molecules was detected using the CCD camera. The received signal was normalized to a molecular scattering model and corrected for transmission using an AERONET derived phase-function. Long-term measurements of high altitude aerosols were compiled and studied. A distinct aerosol feature in the long-term aerosol extinction average was observed and studied further with nearby radiosonde wind-direction measurements.