Articles | Volume 16, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5953-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5953-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Dec 2023
Research article |
| 13 Dec 2023
| 13 Dec 2023
Cloud top heights and aerosol columnar properties from combined EarthCARE lidar and imager observations: the AM-CTH and AM-ACD products
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany
Anja Hünerbein
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany
Ulla Wandinger
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany
Nicole Docter
Institute for Space Science, Free University of Berlin (FUB), Berlin, Germany
Sebastian Bley
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany
David Donovan
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), De Bilt, the Netherlands
Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), De Bilt, the Netherlands
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Sulfate aerosol from the volcanic eruption at La Palma in 2021 was observed over Cabo Verde. We characterized the aerosol burden based on a case study of lidar and sun photometer observations. We compared the volcanic case to the typical background conditions (reference case) to quantify the volcanic pollution. We show the first ever measurements of the extinction coefficient, lidar ratio and depolarization ratio at 1064 nm for volcanic sulfate.
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4031–4052, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4031-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4031-2023, 2023
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We introduce the algorithms that have been developed to derive cloud top height and aerosol layer products from observations with the Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) onboard the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE). The products provide information on the uppermost cloud and geometrical and optical properties of aerosol layers in an atmospheric column. They can be used individually but also serve as input for algorithms that combine observations with EarthCARE’s lidar and imager.
Ulla Wandinger, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Anja Hünerbein, Nicole Docter, David Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Shannon Mason, and Jason Cole
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2485–2510, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2485-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2485-2023, 2023
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We introduce an aerosol classification model that has been developed for the Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE). The model provides a consistent description of microphysical, optical, and radiative properties of common aerosol types such as dust, sea salt, pollution, and smoke. It is used for aerosol classification and assessment of radiation effects based on the synergy of active and passive observations with lidar, imager, and radiometer of the multi-instrument platform.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Albert Ansmann, Stephanie Bohlmann, Birgit Heese, Julian Hofer, Thomas Kanitz, Moritz Haarig, Kevin Ohneiser, Martin Radenz, Patric Seifert, Annett Skupin, Zhenping Yin, Sabur F. Abdullaev, Mika Komppula, Maria Filioglou, Elina Giannakaki, Iwona S. Stachlewska, Lucja Janicka, Daniele Bortoli, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Anna Gialitaki, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Boris Barja, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2353–2379, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, 2023
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DeLiAn is a collection of lidar-derived aerosol intensive optical properties for several aerosol types, namely the particle linear depolarization ratio, the extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) and the Ångström exponent. The data collection is based on globally distributed, long-term, ground-based, multiwavelength, Raman and polarization lidar measurements and currently covers two wavelengths, 355 and 532 nm, for 13 aerosol categories ranging from basic aerosol types to mixtures.
Jörg Wieder, Nikola Ihn, Claudia Mignani, Moritz Haarig, Johannes Bühl, Patric Seifert, Ronny Engelmann, Fabiola Ramelli, Zamin A. Kanji, Ulrike Lohmann, and Jan Henneberger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9767–9797, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9767-2022, 2022
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Ice formation and its evolution in mixed-phase clouds are still uncertain. We evaluate the lidar retrieval of ice-nucleating particle concentration in dust-dominated and continental air masses over the Swiss Alps with in situ observations. A calibration factor to improve the retrieval from continental air masses is proposed. Ice multiplication factors are obtained with a new method utilizing remote sensing. Our results indicate that secondary ice production occurs at temperatures down to −30 °C.
Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Ronny Engelmann, Holger Baars, Carlos Toledano, Benjamin Torres, Dietrich Althausen, Martin Radenz, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 355–369, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-355-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-355-2022, 2022
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The irregular shape of dust particles makes it difficult to treat them correctly in optical models. Atmospheric measurements of dust optical properties are therefore of great importance. The present study increases the space of observed parameters from 355 and 532 nm towards 1064 nm, which is of special importance for large dust particles. The lidar ratio influenced by mineralogy and the depolarization ratio influenced by shape are measured for the first time at all three wavelengths.
Ronny Engelmann, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Hannes Griesche, Martin Radenz, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Sandro Dahlke, Marion Maturilli, Igor Veselovskii, Cristofer Jimenez, Robert Wiesen, Holger Baars, Johannes Bühl, Henriette Gebauer, Moritz Haarig, Patric Seifert, Ulla Wandinger, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13397–13423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13397-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13397-2021, 2021
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A Raman lidar was operated aboard the icebreaker Polarstern during MOSAiC and monitored aerosol and cloud layers in the central Arctic up to 30 km height. The article provides an overview of the spectrum of aerosol profiling observations and shows aerosol–cloud interaction studies for liquid-water and ice clouds. A highlight was the detection of a 10 km deep wildfire smoke layer over the North Pole up to 17 km height from the fire season of 2019, which persisted over the whole winter period.
Robin J. Hogan, Bernat Puigdomenech Treserras, Shannon L. Mason, Alexei Korolev, Zhipeng Qu, Kamil Mroz, David P. Donovan, Pavlos Kollias, and Mark D. Fielding
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5054, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5054, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
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The EarthCARE satellite carries advanced instruments that allow it to accurately infer vertical profiles of the properties of ice clouds, important for understanding their role in the climate system. Here we use detailed observations from meteorological research aircraft flying underneath the satellite to evaluate EarthCARE’s estimates of the mass of ice in the clouds, the average particle size, and even how fast the air is rising and falling within the cloud due to atmospheric gravity waves.
Esha Semwal, Dietrich Althausen, Ronny Engelmann, Markus Hartmann, Heike Wex, Thomas Oppermann, and Moritz Haarig
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4446, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4446, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a new laboratory setup to measure the depolarization ratio of size-resolved aerosol particles in the exact backscattering direction. Measurements with different aerosol types showed that the system can distinguish spherical and non-spherical particles and captures the size dependence of the depolarization ratio. The developed setup is therefore well suited to provide reliable experimental data for improving light-scattering models and the interpretation of lidar observations.
Julian Hofer, Holger Baars, Zhenping Yin, Andi Klamt, Martin Radenz, Leonard König, Athena A. Floutsi, Cristofer Jimenez, Moritz Haarig, Dietrich Althausen, Benedikt Gast, Håvard S. Buholdt, Nathan Skupin, Jonas Neumann, Sabur F. Abdullozoda, Abduvosit N. Makhmudov, Johannes Bühl, Ronny Engelmann, Ulla Wandinger, and Albert Ansmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3928, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3928, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
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A comparison of manually and automatically analyzed lidar profiles of aerosol optical properties is presented. The manual analysis was performed using a custom software in multiple analyses steps based on visual inspection of the lidar signals. The automatic analysis was performed using an automatic processing chain. The comparison shows good agreement and demonstrates the suitability of the automatic retrievals for various applications of aerosol optical property profiles.
Anna Trosits, Andreas Foth, Allison A. Wing, Johanna Roschke, Moritz Haarig, Anton Kötsche, and Heike Kalesse-Los
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4385, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4385, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows the effect of air layers originating from the Saharan Desert on clouds over the tropical Atlantic observed during the ship-borne research campaign BOWTIE. These Saharan Air Layers (SAL) were analysed with data from several instruments providing atmospheric profiles and can be characterised by low moisture and dispersed mineral dust. The investigation suggests a suppression of vertical cloud development by the SAL, also affecting microphysical properties of the cloud.
Georg Holger Müller, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Julian Hofer, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Ulla Wandinger, Martin Radenz, Moritz Haarig, Sabur Fuzailovich Abdullaev, Shohina Kh. Khalifaeva, Albert Ansmann, and Holger Baars
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3390, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3390, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
A five-year dataset of lidar measurements from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was analyzed to investigate the annual dust cycle and intraanual variability in the region. The dataset consists of automatically processed data, including the separation of the dust and non-dust particle backscatter coefficient and enabling the calculation of monthly and seasonal dust mass concentration within the atmosphere. The study highlights the importance of continuous lidar measurements in the Central Asian region.
Sofía Gómez Maqueo Anaya, Sudharaj Aryasree, Konrad Kandler, Eduardo José dos Santos Souza, Khanneh Wadinga Fomba, Dietrich Althausen, Maria Kezoudi, Matthias Faust, Bernd Heinold, Ina Tegen, Moritz Haarig, Holger Baars, and Kerstin Schepanski
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 9929–9966, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9929-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9929-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
During two 2022 measurement campaigns in Cape Verde, Saharan dust aerosols were collected and analyzed for mineral composition. Mineralogy is crucial for dust–radiation and dust–cloud interactions. We improve dust representation in an atmospheric model by refining the translation of soil into aerosol particle size distributions. Validation with mineral and elemental measurements shows improved representation of some minerals and reveals biases missed by mineral-only comparisons.
Konstantin Krüger, Martin Wirth, Athena Augusta Floutsi, David Patrick Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, and Silke Martha Groß
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3051, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3051, 2026
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Cloud properties from the ATLID L2 products A-TC, A-FM, and A-CTH are independently validated using airborne HSRL observations from EarthCARE underflights in the tropics and extratropics. Results for baseline BA show reliable depiction of cloud distribution and cloud top height, though A-TC overestimates ice cloud fraction and A-CTH slightly overestimates top height. Comparison with proto-CA baseline indicates some improvements, underscoring their suitability for investigating cloud properties.
Holger Baars, Moritz Haarig, Leonard König, Athena A. Floutsi, Elizaveta Basharova, Julian Hofer, Henriette Gebauer, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Annett Skupin, Benedikt Gast, Felix Fritzsch, Kevin Ohneiser, Cristofer Jimenez, Tom Gaudek, Martin Radenz, Håvard Buholdt, Birgit Heese, Andi Klamt, Patric Seifert, David P. Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Sabur F. Abdullaev, Shohina K. Khalifaeva, Dilovar F. Nozirov, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3831–3864, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3831-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3831-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The satellite mission EarthCARE (Earth Cloud, Aerosol, and Radiation Explorer) was launched in May 2024 and has 4 unique instruments on board. We used ground-based PollyNET/ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace gases Research Infrastructure) profiling data to discuss the quality of EarthCARE’s lidar products based on case studies from different geographic locations. Our investigations revealed that the space-borne lidar instrument has remarkable profiling capabilities but currently also still some limitations, however, not preventing first scientific studies when quality checking the data intensively.
Albert Ansmann, Julian Hofer, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Moritz Haarig, Holger Baars, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3801–3830, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3801-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3801-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Updated lidar and ceilometer conversion factors are presented. The conversion factors allow us to calculate microphyscial properties from measurned optical properties. One of the main goals is to support 355 nm space lidar observations.
Sebastian Bley, Anja Hünerbein, Edward Baudrez, Nils Madenach, Nicole Docter, Rene Preusker, Michael Eisinger, Fabien Marnas, Antje Ludewig, Manuel Ángel Ruiz Saldaña, Cameron Bean, Shweta Agarwal, Lennart Zimmermann, and Timon Hummel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2652, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2652, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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The joint ESA-JAXA EarthCARE satellite, launched on 28 May 2024, carries a unique combination of active and passive instruments. We present the first in-orbit calibration and validation of the Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) Level-1 data. We performed ad-hoc vicarious calibration of the MSI radiances using deep convective cloud scenes from the MTG Flexible Combined Imager and show that all corrections, made in the first 1.5 years, significantly improved the geometric and radiometric performance.
Dimitri Trapon, Holger Baars, Sebastian Bley, Albert Ansmann, Michael Rennie, Sergey Khaykin, and Michael Sicard
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2575, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2575, 2026
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The study presents observations of the 2022 Hunga volcanic aerosol in the stratosphere made by the European Space Agency’s Aeolus satellite. Aeolus tracks the long-range transported plumes that circumnavigate the Earth at distinct latitudes and altitudes up to 30 km. Vertical gradient of optical properties measured with the ultraviolet lidar signal are shown, such as decreasing trends over time. This helps to understand the stratospheric residence time of aerosols in the Southern Hemisphere.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Konstantinos Rizos, Dimitri Trapon, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Eleni Marinou, Peristera Paschou, Julian Hofer, Emmanouil Proestakis, Henriette Gebauer, Annett Skupin, Albert Ansmann, Thorsten Fehr, Timon Hummel, Rob Koopman, Vassilis Amiridis, Ulla Wandinger, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1901–1925, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1901-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1901-2026, 2026
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We assess the representativeness of a remote ground-based station in Mindelo, Cabo Verde by utilizing continuous observations of a ground-based multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar and the LIdar climatology of Vertical Aerosol Structure (LIVAS) products. Based on a statistical analysis of the optical properties at different radii around Mindelo and case studies, we conclude that overall, the ground-based station in Mindelo can be considered conditionally representative.
Henriette Gebauer, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Julian Hofer, Moritz Haarig, Annett Skupin, Ronny Engelmann, Cristofer Jimenez, Robert Wagner, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 3439–3465, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3439-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3439-2026, 2026
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The annual aerosol cycle over Mindelo, Cabo Verde, was characterized using lidar and sun photometer measurements between July 2021 and August 2023. The observations were used to define and characterize the aerosol-related seasons at this location. These are the dust season (June–September), when thick layers of Saharan dust are transported over Mindelo, and the mixing season (November–March), when this dust is mixed with smoke from the African continent. April, May, and October were defined as transition months.
Kangwen Sun, Guangyao Dai, Dimitri Trapon, Holger Baars, Albert Ansmann, Ulla Wandinger, and Songhua Wu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-596, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-596, 2026
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Targeting a large-scale smoke transport from the western US to Europe in September 2020 a smoke dataset was constructed based on Aeolus observations, in synergy with multi-platform data. The selected cross-sections show the vertical structure of the smoke layers at different transport phases. Statistical analyses of the complete dataset reveal the evolution of the smoke plume throughout its transatlantic transport.
Thirza N. Feenstra, Willem Jan van de Berg, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, David P. Donovan, Christiaan T. van Dalum, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1323–1344, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1323-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1323-2026, 2026
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Cloud representation brings large uncertainties in polar climate modeling. We show the first evaluation of Greenland clouds in the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2.4) with new EarthCARE satellite data. Comparing lidar and radar observations and retrieved cloud profiles with co-located RACMO output, we find RACMO captures low ice clouds but underestimates high clouds, mid-altitude liquid clouds, and snowfall. These results highlight EarthCARE's potential to improve polar climate models.
Xiaoxia Shang, Maria Filioglou, Julian Hofer, Moritz Haarig, Qiaoyun Hu, Philippe Goloub, Sami Romakkaniemi, and Mika Komppula
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 679–697, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-679-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-679-2026, 2026
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We developed a simple method to identify different types of airborne particles using laser-based measurements. It can distinguish coarse dust, fine dust, and non-dust aerosols. Tests with real data from regions affected by desert dust show the method works well. This helps improve understanding of how particles are distributed in the atmosphere, which is important for air quality and climate studies.
Konstantinos Rizos, Emmanouil Proestakis, Thanasis Georgiou, Antonis Gkikas, Eleni Marinou, Peristera Paschou, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, David P. Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Angela Benedetti, Holger Baars, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Nikos Benas, Martin Stengel, Christian Retscher, Edward Malina, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 699–728, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, 2026
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The Aeolus satellite's lidar system had limitations in detecting certain atmospheric layers and distinguishing between aerosol and cloud types. To improve accuracy, a new dust detection product was developed. By combining data from various sources and validating it with ground-based measurements, this enhanced product performs better than the original. It helps improve dust transport models and weather predictions, making it a valuable tool for atmospheric monitoring and forecasting.
Cristofer Jimenez, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Hannes Griesche, Ronny Engelmann, Martin Radenz, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Daniel A. Knopf, Sandro Dahlke, Johannes Bühl, Holger Baars, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 12955–12981, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12955-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12955-2025, 2025
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We studied the water and ice phases of Arctic mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) using dual FOV polarization lidar and Doppler radar on board Polarstern during the MOSAiC expedition. Two long-lasting Arctic MPCs and year-round statistics show persistent droplet activation and dominant immersion freezing, indicating well-filled cloud condensation nuclei and ice-nucleating particle reservoirs. These findings help explain MPC longevity and may improve cloud life cycle representation in weather and climate models.
Peristera Paschou, Nikolaos Siomos, Eleni Marinou, Antonis Gkikas, Samira M. Idrissa, Daniel T. Quaye, Désiré D. Fiogbe Attannon, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Charikleia Meleti, David P. Donovan, George Georgoussis, Tommaso Parrinello, Thorsten Fehr, Jonas von Bismarck, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 4731–4754, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4731-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4731-2025, 2025
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This study presents the results from a validation study on the Level 2A products (aerosol optical properties) of the ESA's (European Space Agency) Aeolus mission. Measurements from the eVe lidar, a combined linear/circular polarization and Raman lidar and ESA's ground reference system, that have been collected during the Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaign are compared with collocated Aeolus Level 2A profiles obtained from the latest version (Baseline 16) of the Aeolus algorithms.
Sofía Gómez Maqueo Anaya, Dietrich Althausen, Julian Hofer, Moritz Haarig, Ulla Wandinger, Bernd Heinold, Ina Tegen, Matthias Faust, Holger Baars, Albert Ansmann, Ronny Engelmann, Annett Skupin, Birgit Heese, and Kerstin Schepanski
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9737–9764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9737-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9737-2025, 2025
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This study investigates how hematite in Sahara dust affects how dust particles interact with radiation. Using lidar data from Cabo Verde (2021–2022) and hematite content from atmospheric model simulations, the results show that a higher hematite fraction leads to a decrease in the particle backscattering coefficients in a spectrally different way. These findings can improve the representation of mineral dust in climate models, particularly regarding their radiative effect.
Dimitri Trapon, Holger Baars, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Sebastian Bley, Moritz Haarig, Adrien Lacour, Thomas Flament, Alain Dabas, Amin R. Nehrir, Frithjof Ehlers, and Dorit Huber
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3873–3896, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3873-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3873-2025, 2025
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The study highlights how aerosol measurements from aircraft can be used in synergy with ground-based observations to validate the European Space Agency's Aeolus satellite aerosol product above the tropical Atlantic. For the first time, collocated sections of the troposphere up to 626 km long are crossed. Combining measurements from satellite, aircraft, and ground-based instruments allows characterization of the optical properties of the observed dust particles emitted from the Sahara.
Moritz Haarig, Ronny Engelmann, Holger Baars, Benedikt Gast, Dietrich Althausen, and Albert Ansmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7741–7763, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7741-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7741-2025, 2025
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The lidar ratio is an important quantity in aerosol typing. Its spectral slope contains information about the source region or transport paths of the observed aerosol. The extension to 1064 nm is a recent development led by our institute. We gathered previous observations and added new ones to provide the spectral slope for the most important aerosol types such as marine and continental aerosol, dust, smoke, and sulfate. We compared it to assumptions used for spaceborne backscatter lidars.
Victor J. H. Trees, Ping Wang, Job I. Wiltink, Piet Stammes, Daphne M. Stam, David P. Donovan, and A. Pier Siebesma
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2197, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2197, 2025
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We present MONKI (Monte Carlo KNMI), an efficient and accurate radiative transfer code written in Fortran. MONKI computes total and polarised radiances reflected and transmitted by planetary atmospheres, accounting for polarisation in all scattering orders. MONKI handles both homogeneous atmospheres and 3D cloud structures. MONKI has been validated, and produces reliable results even for planets with optically thick, strongly polarising atmospheres.
Martin de Graaf, Maarten Sneep, Mark ter Linden, L. Gijsbert Tilstra, David P. Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, and J. Pepijn Veefkind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2553–2571, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2553-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2553-2025, 2025
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The aerosol layer height (ALH) from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) has been constantly improved since its release in 2019. Over bright surfaces, fitting the albedo improved the retrieval, as shown for a set of situations, ranging from multiple layers of smoke to thick desert dust plumes and low-altitude industrial pollution. The latest results of the operational ALH are compared to profiles from the ATmospheric LIDar (ATLID) on board the recently launched EarthCARE mission.
Albert Ansmann, Cristofer Jimenez, Johanna Roschke, Johannes Bühl, Kevin Ohneiser, Ronny Engelmann, Martin Radenz, Hannes Griesche, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Daniel A. Knopf, Sandro Dahlke, Tom Gaudek, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4847–4866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4847-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4847-2025, 2025
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In this study, we focus on the potential impact of wildfire smoke on cirrus formation. For the first time, state-of-the-art aerosol and cirrus observations with lidar and radar, presented in this paper (Part 1 of a series of two articles), are closely linked to the comprehensive modeling of gravity-wave-induced ice nucleation in cirrus evolution processes, presented in a companion paper (Part 2). We found a clear impact of wildfire smoke on cirrus evolution.
Benedikt Gast, Cristofer Jimenez, Albert Ansmann, Moritz Haarig, Ronny Engelmann, Felix Fritzsch, Athena A. Floutsi, Hannes Griesche, Kevin Ohneiser, Julian Hofer, Martin Radenz, Holger Baars, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3995–4011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3995-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3995-2025, 2025
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In this study, we discuss the enhanced detection capabilities of a fluorescence lidar in the case of optically thin aerosol layers in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. Our results suggest that such thin aerosol layers are not so rare in the UTLS and can potentially trigger and impact cirrus cloud formation through heterogeneous ice nucleation. By altering the microphysical cloud properties, this could affect clouds' evolution and lifetime and thus their climate effect.
Carola Barrientos-Velasco, Christopher J. Cox, Hartwig Deneke, J. Brant Dodson, Anja Hünerbein, Matthew D. Shupe, Patrick C. Taylor, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3929–3960, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3929-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3929-2025, 2025
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Understanding how clouds affect the climate, especially in the Arctic, is crucial. This study used data from the largest polar expedition in history, MOSAiC, and the CERES satellite to analyse the impact of clouds on radiation. Simulations showed accurate results, aligning with observations. Over the year, clouds caused the atmospheric surface system to lose 5.2 W m−² of radiative energy to space, while the surface gained 25 W m−² and the atmosphere cooled by 30.2 W m−².
Silke Groß, Volker Freudenthaler, Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Carlos Toledano, David Mateos, Petra Seibert, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Josef Gasteiger, Maximilian Dollner, Anne Tipka, Manuel Schöberl, Marilena Teri, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3191–3211, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3191-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3191-2025, 2025
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Aerosols contribute to the largest uncertainties in climate change predictions. The eastern Mediterranean is a hotspot for aerosols with natural and anthropogenic contributions. We present lidar measurements performed during A-LIFE (Absorbing aerosol layers in a changing climate: aging, lifetime and dynamics) to characterize aerosols and aerosol mixtures. We extend current lidar classification and separation schemes and compare them to classification schemes using different methods.
Johanna Roschke, Jonas Witthuhn, Marcus Klingebiel, Moritz Haarig, Andreas Foth, Anton Kötsche, and Heike Kalesse-Los
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 487–508, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-487-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-487-2025, 2025
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We present a technique to discriminate between the Cloudnet target classification of "drizzle or rain" and sea salt aerosols that is applicable to marine Cloudnet sites. The method is crucial for investigating the occurrence of precipitation and significantly improves the Cloudnet target classification scheme for measurements over the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO). A first-ever analysis of the Cloudnet product including the new "haze echo" target over 2 years at the BCO is presented.
Victor J. H. Trees, Ping Wang, Piet Stammes, Lieuwe G. Tilstra, David P. Donovan, and A. Pier Siebesma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 73–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-73-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-73-2025, 2025
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Our study investigates the impact of cloud shadows on satellite-based aerosol index measurements over Europe by TROPOMI. Using a cloud shadow detection algorithm and simulations, we found that the overall effect on the aerosol index is minimal. Interestingly, we found that cloud shadows are significantly bluer than their shadow-free surroundings, but the traditional algorithm already (partly) automatically corrects for this increased blueness.
Lev D. Labzovskii, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, David P. Donovan, Jos de Kloe, L. Gijsbert Tilstra, Ad Stoffelen, Damien Josset, and Piet Stammes
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 7183–7208, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-7183-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-7183-2024, 2024
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The Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument (ALADIN) on the Aeolus satellite was the first of its kind to measure high-resolution vertical profiles of aerosols and cloud properties from space. We present an algorithm that produces Aeolus lidar surface returns (LSRs), containing useful information for measuring UV reflectivity. Aeolus LSRs matched well with existing UV reflectivity data from other satellites, like GOME-2 and TROPOMI, and demonstrated excellent sensitivity to modeled snow cover.
Ping Wang, David Patrick Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Jos de Kloe, Dorit Huber, and Katja Reissig
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5935–5955, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5935-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5935-2024, 2024
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We describe the new feature mask (AEL-FM) and aerosol profile retrieval (AEL-PRO) algorithms developed for Aeolus lidar and present the evaluation of the Aeolus products using CALIPSO data for dust aerosols over Africa. We have found that Aeolus and CALIPSO show similar aerosol patterns in the collocated orbits and have good agreement for the extinction coefficients for the dust aerosols, especially for the cloud-free scenes. The finding is applicable to Aeolus L2A product Baseline 17.
David Patrick Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, and Ping Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5301–5340, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5301-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5301-2024, 2024
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ATLID (atmospheric lidar) is the lidar to be flown on the Earth Clouds and Radiation Explorer satellite (EarthCARE). EarthCARE is a joint European–Japanese satellite mission that was launched in May 2024. ATLID is an advanced lidar optimized for cloud and aerosol property profile measurements. This paper describes some of the key novel algorithms being applied to this lidar to retrieve cloud and aerosol properties. Example results based on simulated data are presented and discussed.
Robin J. Hogan, Anthony J. Illingworth, Pavlos Kollias, Hajime Okamoto, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3081–3083, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3081-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3081-2024, 2024
Henriette Gebauer, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Moritz Haarig, Martin Radenz, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Annett Skupin, Albert Ansmann, Cordula Zenk, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5047–5067, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5047-2024, 2024
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Sulfate aerosol from the volcanic eruption at La Palma in 2021 was observed over Cabo Verde. We characterized the aerosol burden based on a case study of lidar and sun photometer observations. We compared the volcanic case to the typical background conditions (reference case) to quantify the volcanic pollution. We show the first ever measurements of the extinction coefficient, lidar ratio and depolarization ratio at 1064 nm for volcanic sulfate.
Nicole Docter, Anja Hünerbein, David P. Donovan, Rene Preusker, Jürgen Fischer, Jan Fokke Meirink, Piet Stammes, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2507–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, 2024
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MSI is the imaging spectrometer on board EarthCARE and will provide across-track information on clouds and aerosol properties. The MSI solar channels exhibit a spectral misalignment effect (SMILE) in the measurements. This paper describes and evaluates how the SMILE will affect the cloud and aerosol retrievals that do not account for it.
Shannon L. Mason, Howard W. Barker, Jason N. S. Cole, Nicole Docter, David P. Donovan, Robin J. Hogan, Anja Hünerbein, Pavlos Kollias, Bernat Puigdomènech Treserras, Zhipeng Qu, Ulla Wandinger, and Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 875–898, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-875-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-875-2024, 2024
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When the EarthCARE mission enters its operational phase, many retrieval data products will be available, which will overlap both in terms of the measurements they use and the geophysical quantities they report. In this pre-launch study, we use simulated EarthCARE scenes to compare the coverage and performance of many data products from the European Space Agency production model, with the intention of better understanding the relation between products and providing a compact guide to users.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 693–714, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-693-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-693-2024, 2024
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We introduce an aerosol-typing scheme (HETEAC-Flex) based on lidar-derived intensive optical properties and applicable to ground-based and spaceborne lidars. HETEAC-Flex utilizes the optimal estimation method and enables the identification of up to four different aerosol components, as well as the determination of their contribution to the aerosol mixture in terms of relative volume. The aerosol components represent common aerosol types such as dust, sea salt, smoke and pollution.
Anja Hünerbein, Sebastian Bley, Hartwig Deneke, Jan Fokke Meirink, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, and Andi Walther
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 261–276, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-261-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-261-2024, 2024
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The ESA cloud, aerosol and radiation mission EarthCARE will provide active profiling and passive imaging measurements from a single satellite platform. The passive multi-spectral imager (MSI) will add information in the across-track direction. We present the cloud optical and physical properties algorithm, which combines the visible to infrared MSI channels to determine the cloud top pressure, optical thickness, particle size and water path.
Hannes Jascha Griesche, Carola Barrientos-Velasco, Hartwig Deneke, Anja Hünerbein, Patric Seifert, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 597–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, 2024
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The Arctic is strongly affected by climate change and the role of clouds therein is not yet completely understood. Measurements from the Arctic expedition PS106 were used to simulate radiative fluxes with and without clouds at very low altitudes (below 165 m), and their radiative effect was calculated to be 54 Wm-2. The low heights of these clouds make them hard to observe. This study shows the importance of accurate measurements and simulations of clouds and gives suggestions for improvements.
Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Daniel A. Knopf, Argyro Nisantzi, Johannes Bühl, Ronny Engelmann, Annett Skupin, Patric Seifert, Holger Baars, Dragos Ene, Ulla Wandinger, and Diofantos Hadjimitsis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14097–14114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, 2023
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For the first time, rather clear evidence is found that wildfire smoke particles can trigger strong cirrus formation. This finding is of importance because intensive and large wildfires may occur increasingly often in the future as climate change proceeds. Based on lidar observations in Cyprus in autumn 2020, we provide detailed insight into the cirrus formation at the tropopause in the presence of aged wildfire smoke (here, 8–9 day old Californian wildfire smoke).
David P. Donovan, Pavlos Kollias, Almudena Velázquez Blázquez, and Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5327–5356, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5327-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5327-2023, 2023
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The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer mission (EarthCARE) is a multi-instrument cloud–aerosol–radiation-oriented satellite for climate and weather applications. For this satellite mission to be successful, the development and implementation of new techniques for turning the measured raw signals into useful data is required. This paper describes how atmospheric model data were used as the basis for creating realistic high-resolution simulated data sets to facilitate this process.
Zhipeng Qu, David P. Donovan, Howard W. Barker, Jason N. S. Cole, Mark W. Shephard, and Vincent Huijnen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4927–4946, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4927-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4927-2023, 2023
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The EarthCARE satellite mission Level 2 algorithm development requires realistic 3D cloud and aerosol scenes along the satellite orbits. One of the best ways to produce these scenes is to use a high-resolution numerical weather prediction model to simulate atmospheric conditions at 250 m horizontal resolution. This paper describes the production and validation of three EarthCARE test scenes.
Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Ronny Engelmann, Martin Radenz, Hannes Griesche, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Jessie M. Creamean, Matthew C. Boyer, Daniel A. Knopf, Sandro Dahlke, Marion Maturilli, Henriette Gebauer, Johannes Bühl, Cristofer Jimenez, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12821–12849, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12821-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12821-2023, 2023
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The 1-year MOSAiC (2019–2020) expedition with the German ice breaker Polarstern was the largest polar field campaign ever conducted. The Polarstern, with our lidar aboard, drifted with the pack ice north of 85° N for more than 7 months (October 2019 to mid-May 2020). We measured the full annual cycle of aerosol conditions in terms of aerosol optical and cloud-process-relevant properties. We observed a strong contrast between polluted winter and clean summer aerosol conditions.
Ulla Wandinger, Moritz Haarig, Holger Baars, David Donovan, and Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4031–4052, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4031-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4031-2023, 2023
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We introduce the algorithms that have been developed to derive cloud top height and aerosol layer products from observations with the Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) onboard the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE). The products provide information on the uppermost cloud and geometrical and optical properties of aerosol layers in an atmospheric column. They can be used individually but also serve as input for algorithms that combine observations with EarthCARE’s lidar and imager.
Holger Baars, Joshua Walchester, Elizaveta Basharova, Henriette Gebauer, Martin Radenz, Johannes Bühl, Boris Barja, Ulla Wandinger, and Patric Seifert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3809–3834, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3809-2023, 2023
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In 2018, the Aeolus satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) was launched to improve weather forecasts through global measurements of wind profiles. Given the novel lidar technique onboard, extensive validation efforts have been needed to verify the observations. For this reason, we performed long-term validation measurements in Germany and Chile. We found significant improvement in the data products due to a new algorithm version and can confirm the general validity of Aeolus observations.
Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, David P. Donovan, and Ping Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3631–3651, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3631-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3631-2023, 2023
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The Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation (EarthCARE) satellite mission features the UV lidar ATLID. The ATLID FeatureMask algorithm provides a high-resolution detection probability mask which is used to guide smoothing strategies within the ATLID profile retrieval algorithm, one step further in the EarthCARE level-2 processing chain, in which the microphysical retrievals and target classification are performed.
Nicole Docter, Rene Preusker, Florian Filipitsch, Lena Kritten, Franziska Schmidt, and Jürgen Fischer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3437–3457, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3437-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3437-2023, 2023
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We describe the stand-alone retrieval algorithm used to derive aerosol properties relying on measurements of the Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) aboard the upcoming Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite. This aerosol data product will be available as M-AOT after the launch of EarthCARE. Additionally, we applied the algorithm to simulated EarthCARE MSI and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data for prelaunch algorithm verification.
Anja Hünerbein, Sebastian Bley, Stefan Horn, Hartwig Deneke, and Andi Walther
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2821–2836, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2821-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2821-2023, 2023
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The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) on board the EarthCARE satellite will provide the information needed for describing the cloud and aerosol properties in the cross-track direction, complementing the measurements from the Cloud Profiling Radar, Atmospheric Lidar and Broad-Band Radiometer. The accurate discrimination between clear and cloudy pixels is an essential first step. Therefore, the cloud mask algorithm provides a cloud flag, cloud phase and cloud type product for the MSI observations.
Abdanour Irbah, Julien Delanoë, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, David P. Donovan, Pavlos Kollias, Bernat Puigdomènech Treserras, Shannon Mason, Robin J. Hogan, and Aleksandra Tatarevic
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2795–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2795-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2795-2023, 2023
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The Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and ATmospheric LIDar (ATLID) aboard the EarthCARE satellite are used to probe the Earth's atmosphere by measuring cloud and aerosol profiles. ATLID is sensitive to aerosols and small cloud particles and CPR to large ice particles, snowflakes and raindrops. It is the synergy of the measurements of these two instruments that allows a better classification of the atmospheric targets and the description of the associated products, which are the subject of this paper.
Ulla Wandinger, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Anja Hünerbein, Nicole Docter, David Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Shannon Mason, and Jason Cole
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2485–2510, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2485-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2485-2023, 2023
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We introduce an aerosol classification model that has been developed for the Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE). The model provides a consistent description of microphysical, optical, and radiative properties of common aerosol types such as dust, sea salt, pollution, and smoke. It is used for aerosol classification and assessment of radiation effects based on the synergy of active and passive observations with lidar, imager, and radiometer of the multi-instrument platform.
Martin de Graaf, Karolina Sarna, Jessica Brown, Elma V. Tenner, Manon Schenkels, and David P. Donovan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5373–5391, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5373-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5373-2023, 2023
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Clouds over the oceans reflect sunlight and cool the earth. Simultaneous measurements were performed of cloud droplet sizes and smoke particles in and near the cloud base over Ascension Island, a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean, to determine the sensitivity of cloud droplets to smoke from the African continent. The smoke was found to reduce cloud droplet sizes, which makes the cloud droplets more susceptible to evaporation, reducing cloud lifetime.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Albert Ansmann, Stephanie Bohlmann, Birgit Heese, Julian Hofer, Thomas Kanitz, Moritz Haarig, Kevin Ohneiser, Martin Radenz, Patric Seifert, Annett Skupin, Zhenping Yin, Sabur F. Abdullaev, Mika Komppula, Maria Filioglou, Elina Giannakaki, Iwona S. Stachlewska, Lucja Janicka, Daniele Bortoli, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Anna Gialitaki, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Boris Barja, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2353–2379, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, 2023
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DeLiAn is a collection of lidar-derived aerosol intensive optical properties for several aerosol types, namely the particle linear depolarization ratio, the extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) and the Ångström exponent. The data collection is based on globally distributed, long-term, ground-based, multiwavelength, Raman and polarization lidar measurements and currently covers two wavelengths, 355 and 532 nm, for 13 aerosol categories ranging from basic aerosol types to mixtures.
Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Alexandra Chudnovsky, Daniel A. Knopf, Edwin W. Eloranta, Diego Villanueva, Patric Seifert, Martin Radenz, Boris Barja, Félix Zamorano, Cristofer Jimenez, Ronny Engelmann, Holger Baars, Hannes Griesche, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11701–11726, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11701-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11701-2022, 2022
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For the first time we present a systematic study on the impact of wildfire smoke on ozone depletion in the Arctic (2020) and Antarctic stratosphere (2020, 2021). Two major fire events in Siberia and Australia were responsible for the observed record-breaking stratospheric smoke pollution. Our analyses were based on lidar observations of smoke parameters (Polarstern, Punta Arenas) and NDACC Arctic and Antarctic ozone profiles as well as on Antarctic OMI satellite observations of column ozone.
Jörg Wieder, Nikola Ihn, Claudia Mignani, Moritz Haarig, Johannes Bühl, Patric Seifert, Ronny Engelmann, Fabiola Ramelli, Zamin A. Kanji, Ulrike Lohmann, and Jan Henneberger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9767–9797, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9767-2022, 2022
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Ice formation and its evolution in mixed-phase clouds are still uncertain. We evaluate the lidar retrieval of ice-nucleating particle concentration in dust-dominated and continental air masses over the Swiss Alps with in situ observations. A calibration factor to improve the retrieval from continental air masses is proposed. Ice multiplication factors are obtained with a new method utilizing remote sensing. Our results indicate that secondary ice production occurs at temperatures down to −30 °C.
Carola Barrientos-Velasco, Hartwig Deneke, Anja Hünerbein, Hannes J. Griesche, Patric Seifert, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9313–9348, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9313-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9313-2022, 2022
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This article describes an intercomparison of radiative fluxes and cloud properties from satellite, shipborne observations, and 1D radiative transfer simulations. The analysis focuses on research for PS106 expedition aboard the German research vessel, Polarstern. The results are presented in detailed case studies, time series for the PS106 cruise and extended to the central Arctic region. The findings illustrate the main periods of agreement and discrepancies of both points of view.
Victor J. H. Trees, Ping Wang, Piet Stammes, Lieuwe G. Tilstra, David P. Donovan, and A. Pier Siebesma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3121–3140, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3121-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3121-2022, 2022
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Cloud shadows are observed by the TROPOMI satellite instrument as a result of its high spatial resolution. These shadows contaminate TROPOMI's air quality measurements, because shadows are generally not taken into account in the models that are used for aerosol and trace gas retrievals. We present the Detection AlgoRithm for CLOud Shadows (DARCLOS) for TROPOMI, which is the first cloud shadow detection algorithm for a satellite spectrometer.
Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Ronny Engelmann, Holger Baars, Carlos Toledano, Benjamin Torres, Dietrich Althausen, Martin Radenz, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 355–369, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-355-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-355-2022, 2022
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The irregular shape of dust particles makes it difficult to treat them correctly in optical models. Atmospheric measurements of dust optical properties are therefore of great importance. The present study increases the space of observed parameters from 355 and 532 nm towards 1064 nm, which is of special importance for large dust particles. The lidar ratio influenced by mineralogy and the depolarization ratio influenced by shape are measured for the first time at all three wavelengths.
Jonas Witthuhn, Anja Hünerbein, Florian Filipitsch, Stefan Wacker, Stefanie Meilinger, and Hartwig Deneke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14591–14630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14591-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14591-2021, 2021
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Knowledge of aerosol–radiation interactions is important for understanding the climate system and for the renewable energy sector. Here, two complementary approaches are used to assess the consistency of the underlying aerosol properties and the resulting radiative effect in clear-sky conditions over Germany in 2015. An approach based on clear-sky models and broadband irradiance observations is contrasted to the use of explicit radiative transfer simulations using CAMS reanalysis data.
Ronny Engelmann, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Hannes Griesche, Martin Radenz, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Sandro Dahlke, Marion Maturilli, Igor Veselovskii, Cristofer Jimenez, Robert Wiesen, Holger Baars, Johannes Bühl, Henriette Gebauer, Moritz Haarig, Patric Seifert, Ulla Wandinger, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13397–13423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13397-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13397-2021, 2021
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A Raman lidar was operated aboard the icebreaker Polarstern during MOSAiC and monitored aerosol and cloud layers in the central Arctic up to 30 km height. The article provides an overview of the spectrum of aerosol profiling observations and shows aerosol–cloud interaction studies for liquid-water and ice clouds. A highlight was the detection of a 10 km deep wildfire smoke layer over the North Pole up to 17 km height from the fire season of 2019, which persisted over the whole winter period.
Cited articles
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Eisinger, M., Marnas, F., Wallace, K., Kubota, T., Tomiyama, N., Ohno, Y., Tanaka, T., Tomita, E., Wehr, T., and Bernaerts, D.: The EarthCARE Mission: Science Data Processing Chain Overview, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1998, 2023. a, b
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Floutsi, A. A., Baars, H., Engelmann, R., Althausen, D., Ansmann, A., Bohlmann, S., Heese, B., Hofer, J., Kanitz, T., Haarig, M., Ohneiser, K., Radenz, M., Seifert, P., Skupin, A., Yin, Z., Abdullaev, S. F., Komppula, M., Filioglou, M., Giannakaki, E., Stachlewska, I. S., Janicka, L., Bortoli, D., Marinou, E., Amiridis, V., Gialitaki, A., Mamouri, R.-E., Barja, B., and Wandinger, U.: DeLiAn – a growing collection of depolarization ratio, lidar ratio and Ångström exponent for different aerosol types and mixtures from ground-based lidar observations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2353–2379, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, 2023. a
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Griesche, H. J., Seifert, P., Ansmann, A., Baars, H., Barrientos Velasco, C., Bühl, J., Engelmann, R., Radenz, M., Zhenping, Y., and Macke, A.: Application of the shipborne remote sensing supersite OCEANET for profiling of Arctic aerosols and clouds during Polarstern cruise PS106, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5335–5358, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5335-2020, 2020. a
Groß, S., Freudenthaler, V., Wirth, M., and Weinzierl, B.: Towards an aerosol classification scheme for future EarthCARE lidar observations and implications for research needs, Atmos. Sci. Lett., 16, 77–82, https://doi.org/10.1002/asl2.524, 2015. a
Håkansson, N., Adok, C., Thoss, A., Scheirer, R., and Hörnquist, S.: Neural network cloud top pressure and height for MODIS, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 3177–3196, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3177-20188, 2018. a
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Illingworth, A. J., Barker, H. W., Beljaars, A., Ceccaldi, M., Chepfer, H., Clerbaux, N., Cole, J., Delanoë, J., Domenech, C., Donovan, D. P., Fukuda, S., Hirakata, M., Hogan, R. J., Huenerbein, A., Kollias, P., Kubota, T., Nakajima, T., Nakajima, T. Y., Nishizawa, T., Ohno, Y., Okamoto, H., Oki, R., Sato, K., Satoh, M., Shephard, M. W., Velázquez-Blázquez, A., Wandinger, U., Wehr, T., and van Zadelhoff, G.-J.: The EarthCARE Satellite: The Next Step Forward in Global Measurements of Clouds, Aerosols, Precipitation, and Radiation, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 96, 1311–1332, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00227.1, 2015. a, b
Irbah, A., Delanoë, J., van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Donovan, D. P., Kollias, P., Puigdomènech Treserras, B., Mason, S., Hogan, R. J., and Tatarevic, A.: The classification of atmospheric hydrometeors and aerosols from the EarthCARE radar and lidar: the A-TC, C-TC and AC-TC products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2795–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2795-2023, 2023. a, b, c, d, e
Iwabuchi, H., Saito, M., Tokoro, Y., Putri, N. S., and Sekiguchi, M.: Retrieval of radiative and microphysical properties of clouds from multispectral infrared measurements, Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 3, 32, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-016-0108-3, 2016. a
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Kollias, P., Puidgomènech Treserras, B., Battaglia, A., Borque, P. C., and Tatarevic, A.: Processing reflectivity and Doppler velocity from EarthCARE's cloud-profiling radar: the C-FMR, C-CD and C-APC products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1901–1914, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1901-2023, 2023. a
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Mason, S. L., Hogan, R. J., Bozzo, A., and Pounder, N. L.: A unified synergistic retrieval of clouds, aerosols, and precipitation from EarthCARE: the ACM-CAP product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3459–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3459-2023, 2023b. a
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Qu, Z., Barker, H. W., Cole, J. N. S., and Shephard, M. W.: Across-track extension of retrieved cloud and aerosol properties for the EarthCARE mission: the ACMB-3D product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2319–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2319-2023, 2023a. a, b
Qu, Z., Donovan, D. P., Barker, H. W., Cole, J. N. S., Shephard, M. W., and Huijnen, V.: Numerical model generation of test frames for pre-launch studies of EarthCARE's retrieval algorithms and data management system, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4927–4946, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4927-2023, 2023b. a, b
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Short summary
The atmospheric lidar (ATLID) and Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will be carried by the EarthCARE satellite. The synergistic ATLID–MSI Column Products (AM-COL) algorithm described in the paper combines the strengths of ATLID in vertically resolved profiles of aerosol and clouds (e.g., cloud top height) with the strengths of MSI in observing the complete scene beside the satellite track and in extending the lidar information to the swath. The algorithm is validated against simulated test scenes.
The atmospheric lidar (ATLID) and Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will be carried by the EarthCARE...
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