Abstract
The LiDAR observatory at Dome C, Antarctica, has been active since 2014. Its main goal is the observation of polar stratospheric clouds during the Antarctic winter, from early May until the end of September. Polar stratospheric clouds typically occur at altitudes between 12 and 26 km, when the stratospheric temperature is low enough to form liquid STS (Supercooled Ternary Solutions), solid NAT (Nitric Acid Trihydrate), and ice crystals. These aerosols reflect part of the light emitted by the LiDAR, and its backscattered fraction as well as its polarization can be measured. The recorded optical signals can then be used to distinguish the various aerosols composing the polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). PSCs are important for the catalytic destruction of ozone and for the removal of nitric acid and water vapor from the stratosphere.
The Dome C LiDAR observatory is one of the few Antarctic stations accredited as a main station of the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change). The LiDAR can be remotely controlled and operates several times per day during the austral winter. Recently, a tropospheric channel has been added for the observation of cirrus clouds.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support by PNRA in the framework of the projects 2009/B.08 and OSS-12. We also acknowledge the support of the ISSI-PSC initiative project. Logistical and winter-time technical support was provided by the Piano Nazionale della Ricerca in Antartide (PNRA). The authors thank Igor Petenko, Giampietro Casasanta, Simonetta Montaguti, Alfonso Ferrone, Filippo Cali Quaglia, Meganne Christian, Alberto Salvati, Rodolfo Canestrari, and Angelo Galeandro for performing the ground-based LiDAR measurements at Dome C during the winter and Maurizio Viterbini for his valuable technical support.
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Snels, M., Liberto, L.D., Shuli, I., Colao, F., Scoccione, A., Serva, F. (2023). Observation of Polar Stratospheric Clouds at Dome C, Antarctica.. In: Sullivan, J.T., et al. Proceedings of the 30th International Laser Radar Conference. ILRC 2022. Springer Atmospheric Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37818-8_34
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