A four year lidar/sunphotometer aerosol study at sco paulo, brazil

• Grant number: 07/08712-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Scientific article
• Start date: February 01, 2008
• End date: February 29, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Meteorology
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Landulfo
• Grantee: Eduardo Landulfo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

A backscattering LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system, the first of this kind in Brazil, has been set-up in a suburban area in the city of São Paulo (23o 33' S, 46o44' W ) to provide the vertical profile of the aerosol backscatter coefficient at 532 nm up to an altitude of 4-6 km above sea level (asl). This Lidar system was developed in the Laboratory of Environmental Laser Applications at the Centre for Laser and Applications (CLA) at the Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN and is operational since September 2001. The LIDAR data products which can be provided are aerosol optical thickness (AOT) in the visible, aerosol backscattering and extinction coefficients at 532 nm, clouds and the Planetary Boundary Layer heights, aerosol layering and the structure of the lower troposphere over the city of São Paulo. The Lidar measurements are complemented with aerosol optical thickness measurements obtained by a CIMEL sun-tracking photometer in the visible spectral region, not only to validate the lidar data, but also to provide an input value of the so-called extinction-to-backscatter ratio (Lidar Ratio - LR). A correlation between Lidar data and the data obtained by a CIMEL sun-tracking photometer (which belongs to the AERONET network) placed in Sao Paulo is also being made to set a temporal database of those data which were collected concomitantly and to cross the information obtained by each instrument. (AU)