Using a Centralized Lidar Data Processing Algorithm As a Reference Transfer for the Intercomparison of Campaign Data: Examples from the TOLNet SCOOP and the NDACC MORGANE Campaigns

A new lidar data processing algorithm for the retrieval of ozone, temperature and water vapor has been developed for centralized use within three global and regional lidar networks, namely NDACC, TOLNet, and GRUAN. The program is written with the objective that raw data from a large number of lidar instruments can be analyzed consistently. The uncertainty budget includes 13 sources of uncertainty that are explicitly propagated taking into account vertical and inter-channel dependencies. Several standardized definitions of vertical and temporal resolution can be used, leading to enhanced flexibility, and in particular to the production of ozone, temperature and water vapor profiles adapted to the user need such as long-term monitoring, short- and mid-timescale process studies, and model and satellite validation.

Another advantage of centralized data processing is the ability to use it as a reference transfer between co-located and simultaneous measurements made during intercomparison campaigns. Examples of tropospheric ozone, stratospheric ozone and temperature, and water vapor profiles obtained during the NDACC MORGANE campaign, and the TOLNet SCOOP campaign will be shown. Retrieved profiles from 9 different lidar instruments will be presented with identical, standardized vertical and temporal resolution schemes, allowing to separate differences owed to instrumentation, data processing, and geophysical variability.