9703609 Reagan In this project, Micro-Pulse Lidar (MPL) measurements of aerosols will be carried out as part of the North Atlantic Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2). ACE-2 will be conducted in June and July, 1997, over the subtropical Northeastern Atlantic Ocean as an international collaborative effort. The main objectives of ACE-2 are to study the properties of atmospheric aerosols relevant to radiative forcing and climate using aircraft, ship-board, and ground-based measurements. The principal objective of this work is to provide quantitative retrievals of aerosol spatial backscatter and extinction. Coupling MPL measurements with the comprehensive ACE-2 and AEROCE experiments represents an opportunity to enhance the aerosol information that will be derived at the Tenerife site. The MPL measurements will include standard vertical profililg plus horizontal and slant-path measurements, which are feasible since this system is eye-safe. The understanding of the temporal/spatial distributions of aerosols in the North Atlantic region that MPL measurements will provide is important to the development of a more accurate aerosol climatology. In addition to characterizing the aerosol spatial structure, the MPL extinction and backscatter retrievals provide optical coefficients that are a direct measure of aerosol radiative properties. Coupled with ground-based aerosol sampling and column direct solar/sky scan measurements, these retrievals will provide critical data for closure experiments to establish valid aerosol radiative models necessary to assess aerosol climate forcing effects.
