Aerosol variability over oceans using micro-pulse lidar and photometer: insights from TRANSAMA ship-based campaign

Sanchez-Barrero, Maria Fernanda; Goloub, Philippe; Blarel, Luc; Popovici, Ioana Elisabeta; Torres, Benjamin; Dubois, Gaël; Podvin, Thierry; Ducos, Fabrice; de Filippi, Romain; Sicard, Michaël; Bout Roumazeilles, Viviane; Skonieczny, Charlotte

doi:10.5194/amt-19-507-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-507-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Sun-photometric measurements of aerosols: harmonization, comparisons,...

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-507-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 2

Research article

|

21 Jan 2026

Research article |

| 21 Jan 2026

Aerosol variability over oceans using micro-pulse lidar and photometer: insights from TRANSAMA ship-based campaign

Maria Fernanda Sanchez-Barrero, Philippe Goloub, Luc Blarel, Ioana Elisabeta Popovici, Benjamin Torres, Gaël Dubois, Thierry Podvin, Fabrice Ducos, Romain de Filippi, Michaël Sicard, Viviane Bout Roumazeilles, and Charlotte Skonieczny

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Final revised paper (published on 21 Jan 2026)
Supplement to the final revised paper
Preprint (discussion started on 20 Aug 2025)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1:
'Comment on egusphere-2025-3481', Anonymous Referee #1, 04 Sep 2025

Please find the comments in the PDF attached.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-RC1
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero, 01 Nov 2025
  
  We sincerely extend our gratitude to Referee #1 for the detailed and insightful comments. Your guidance was invaluable in clarifying the main objectives of the study, improving the presentation of Figures 3 and 4, and providing context for the data quality assessments of shipborne photometers.
  Your thoughtful feedback has significantly contributed to enhancing the clarity, readability, and scientific value of our manuscript. We carefully considered all comments and have revised the manuscript accordingly.
  Please find attached our detailed responses to all comments from the editor and referees.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-AC1
RC2:
'Comment on egusphere-2025-3481', Patrick Chazette, 05 Sep 2025

Although the geophysical conclusions drawn from this offshore campaign confirm existing knowledge, this article is relevant to AMT. The campaign demonstrates the value of lidar/photometer synergy in the regular monitoring of sparsely covered ocean areas. Such a deployment could complement Earth observation from space, as with the EarthCARE mission. This potential should be discussed.
The potential of the instruments should be given more emphasis, and the associated uncertainties should be discussed in greater detail. In particular, it is difficult to take measurements in a clean environment where AODs are often below 0.1. Given the significant uncertainty surrounding Ångström exponents and LR values, conclusions must take this limitation into account.
Using a combination of lidar and photometer instruments on vessels provides important additional data to existing land-based networks and spaceborne observations. The frequency with which such observations could be made should be estimated, taking into account the additional resources available beyond the Marion Dufresne vessel.
My comments and suggested corrections are highlighted in the associated file.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-RC2
- AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero, 01 Nov 2025
  
  We sincerely thank Referee #2, Patrick Chazette, for the careful and constructive comments. Your feedback highlighted the importance of emphasizing the potential of shipborne lidar and photometer synergy, clarifying associated uncertainties.
  Your insights have greatly helped us improve the discussion of instrument capabilities and the broader context of our study, particularly in low-AOD marine conditions. We carefully addressed all your comments and revised the manuscript accordingly.
  Please find attached our detailed responses to all comments from the editor and referees.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-AC2
EC1:
'Comment on egusphere-2025-3481', Lionel Doppler, 25 Sep 2025

I thank the authors of the paper "Aerosol variability over oceans using micro-pulse lidar and photometer: Insights from the TRANSAMA ship-based campaign" for their excellent work and valuable contribution. I fully agree with the reviewers that the manuscript convincingly demonstrates the synergy of lidar and photometer for the remote sensing of aerosols. In my opinion, it fits well within the scope of AMT and particularly this special issue. I also consider that the study and its survey are of high quality.
Nevertheless, I share the reviewers’ concern regarding Section 3, which is excessively long. It could be substantially shortened, potentially integrated into another section, allowing more emphasis on the discussion of the benefits of combining active remote sensing (lidar) with passive sensing (photometer), which constitutes the main strength of the paper. Figures 3 and 4, in my view, are not easily interpretable. I suggest providing accompanying tables with reducing the content to only the most relevant information, or removing them entirely if Section 3 undergoes major restructuring. The issues with these figures have also been noted by the reviewers.
Addressing these points should be the priority in any potential revision requested after acceptance.
I wish the authors every success in the revision process and sincerely thank and congratulate them for their work

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-EC1
- AC3: 'Reply on EC1', Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero, 01 Nov 2025
  
  We sincerely thank the editor, Lionel Dopler, for the careful evaluation and valuable guidance on our manuscript. Your suggestions regarding the restructuring of Section 3, improving the readability of Figures 3 and 4, and emphasizing the synergy between lidar and photometer measurements were particularly helpful.
  Following your advice, we revised the manuscript to enhance clarity, improve figure presentation, and better highlight the strengths and contributions of our study. We greatly appreciate your constructive feedback and thoughtful comments throughout the review process.
  Please find attached our detailed responses to all comments from the editor and referees.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-AC3
- AC4: 'Reply on EC1', Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero, 01 Nov 2025
  
  We sincerely thank the editor, Lionel Dopler, for the careful evaluation and valuable guidance on our manuscript. Your suggestions regarding the restructuring of Section 3, improving the readability of Figures 3 and 4, and emphasizing the synergy between lidar and photometer measurements were particularly helpful.
  Following your advice, we revised the manuscript to enhance clarity, improve figure presentation, and better highlight the strengths and contributions of our study. We greatly appreciate your constructive feedback and thoughtful comments throughout the review process.
  Please find attached our detailed responses to all comments from the editor and referees.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3481-AC4

Peer review completion

AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload

AR by Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero on behalf of the Authors (05 Dec 2025) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (16 Dec 2025) by Lionel Doppler

AR by Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero on behalf of the Authors (03 Jan 2026) Manuscript

Short summary

The TRANSAMA ship-based campaign (April–May 2023) aboard Marion Dufresne investigated aerosols from La Réunion to Barbados using photometer and lidar. Observations revealed clean conditions over the South Atlantic, with thin transported aerosol plumes from Southern Africa. Clouds were detected in 53 % of lidar profiles with higher occurrence in the first 2 km. The results show how combined lidar and photometer measurements can improve our understanding of aerosols in marine environment.