Typical tropospheric aerosol backscatter profiles for Southern Ireland: The Cork Raman lidar

A Raman lidar instrument (UCLID) was established at the University College Cork as part of the European lidar network EARLINET. Raman backscatter coefficients, extinction coefficients and lidar ratios were measured within the period 28/08/2010 and 24/04/2011. Typical atmospheric scenarios over Southern Ireland in terms of the aerosol load in the planetary boundary layer are outlined. The lidar ratios found are typical for marine atmospheric condition (lidar ratio ca. 20–25 sr). The height of the planetary boundary layer is below 1000 m and therefore low in comparison to heights found at other lidar sites in Europe. On the 21st of April a large aerosol load was detected, which was assigned to a Saharan dust event based on HYSPLIT trajectories and DREAM forecasts along with the lidar ratio (70 sr) for the period concerned. The dust was found at two heights, pure dust at 2.5 km and dust mixing with pollution from 0.7 to 1.8 km with a lidar ratio of 40–50 sr.

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► First vertical aerosol profiling from the Cork Raman lidar at the Western edge of Europe, a new EARLINET member station.
► Low planetary boundary layer over Cork (below 1000 m), lidar ratios are typical of a marine atmospheric conditions.
► Dust particles detected originating from a Saharan dust event.