A suite of newly revised value-added products (VAPs) is now available for Raman lidars operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility. The suite consists of three VAPs: Water Vapor Mixing Ratio (MR), Temperature (TEMP), and Feature detection and EXtinction (FEX).
The FEX VAP consists of time- and height-resolved estimates of cloud and aerosol optical properties (e.g. aerosol backscatter, extinction, lidar ratio, scattering ratio, feature masks, cloud masks, and linear depolarization ratio). The MR and TEMP VAPs consist of time- and height-resolved estimates of water vapor mixing ratio and temperature, respectively.
All three VAPs include estimates of random uncertainty in the primary variables, with the exception of the feature and cloud masks. These VAPs can be used for process studies, climatology studies, instrument intercomparisons, model validation, and potentially model data assimilation.
Revised VAP data are now available for Raman lidars at the following ARM atmospheric observatories:
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Southern Great Plains |
Eastern North Atlantic |
North Slope of Alaska (Oliktok Point site) |
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Raman Lidar Vertical Profiles |
January 14, 2016, to May 15, 2018 |
September 4, 2015, to May 15, 2018 |
October 15, 2014, to January 4, 2017 |
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RLPROF TEMP |
January 14, 2016, to present |
September 4, 2015, to May 1, 2018 |
November 15, 2014, to January 3, 2017 |
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RLPROF FEX |
January 14, 2016, to present |
September 4, 2015, to present |
Not available |
All three VAPs are created by processing the raw photon counting data measured directly by the Raman lidar. Radiosondes are used to calibrate the water vapor mixing ratio and temperature, and to estimate and correct for the effects of molecular backscatter and extinction. The time resolution is 2 minutes for the FEX VAP and 10 minutes for the MR and TEMP VAPs. The height resolution is 60 meters for the MR and TEMP VAPs, and 30 meters for the FEX VAP.
Scientists can use the revised VAPs now. To share your experience using the VAPs or to ask questions, contact the instrument mentor, Rob Newsom.
Users can access the individual Raman lidar VAPs—Mixing Ratio (MR), Temperature (TEMP), and Feature detection and EXtinction (FEX)—through the ARM Data Center. (Go here to create an account to download the data.)
To cite these data, please use the following:
- MR VAP, doi:10.5439/1415137
- TEMP VAP, doi: 10.5439/1415138
- FEX VAP, doi:10.5439/1373938.
ARM is a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by nine DOE national laboratories.