EARLINET represents an optimal tool to validate CALIPSO lidar data and to provide the necessary information to fully exploit the data produced from that mission.
In particular, aerosol extinction and lidar ratio measurements, provided by the network, will be important for the aerosol retrievals from the backscatter lidar (CALIOP) on board CALIPSO.
EARLINET started correlative measurements for CALIPSO since June 2006. A strategy for correlative measurements has been defined on the base of the analysis of the high resolution ground track data provided by NASA. EARLINET correlative measurements are performed at stations located within 80km from the overpasses and additionally at the lidar stations which are closest to the actually overpassed site. If a multi-wavelength Raman lidar station is overpassed then also the next closest multi-wavelength Raman lidar station performs a measurement. Each correlative measurement lasts for a minimum of 1 hour centered around the overpass time; longer records of measurements are performed for special case studies (Saharan dust layers, forest fires, long range transport, etc.).
Further information from backtrajectory analysis are used to quantitatively study comparisons between CALIPSO and EARLINET observations.
EARLINET correlative measurements plan for CALIPSO, and first results in terms of comparisons between EARLINET and available CALIPSO products will be presented.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The financial support by the European Commission under grant RICA-025991 is gratefully acknowledged.
The authors also thank the German Weather Service for the air mass backtrajectory analysis and the CALIPSO team of the NASA Langley Research Center for the provision of the CALIPSO high resolution ground track data.
CALIPSO data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center.
Supplementary URL: