Abstract
We present measurements of aerosol and water vapor using a Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) mounted downward pointing on board the NCAR Electra aircraft during the Boreal Ecosystem—Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). Lidar legs were flown in 1.5 – 3.5 km above the boreal forest of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. DIAL cross sections of aerosol backscatter and water vapor are used to study the size and structure of thermals in the convective boundary layer (CBL), and of entrainment processes at the CBL top. Applying spectral and autocovariance analyses across horizontal DIAL water vapor series gives insight into the turbulent structure of the atmosphere. Vertical fluxes of humidity at the top of the boundary layer can be estimated from DIAL variance water vapor profiles using a set of empirically derived equations. Such measurements are of high climatological interest, since they enable to evaluate and monitor evaporation and biosphere—atmosphere exchange processes over land surfaces.
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