A Decade of Global Lidar Cloud and Aerosol Profiling (Invited Presentation)

The CALIPSO satellite was developed as a collaboration between NASA and CNES with the objective of globally profiling aerosols and clouds for the first time.  Launched in April 2006, CALIPSO has now flown for a decade as part of the A-train satellite constellation, producing an unprecedented 3D observational record and more than a thousand publications to date.  Combining CALIOP observations with passive sensor data has both improved passive retrievals and allowed retrievals of additional parameters.  Originally planned as a three-year mission, the unanticipated duration of the CALIPSO mission has allowed the characterization of seasonal and interannual variability of aerosols and clouds.  We take this opportunity to discuss highlights among the many findings from CALIPSO, including applications to NWP and air quality.