Saharan dust and biomass burning aerosol characterization: Airborne high spectral resolution lidar observations over the Cape Verde Islands during SAMUM 2008

Abstract

Aerosol optical properties and their spatial distribution have been measured by airborne high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) over the Cape Verde Islands during the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) 2008. The HSRL was operated aboard the Falcon research aircraft of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) together with an extensive set of aerosol in-situ probing instruments, two radiometers and a dropsonde system. In contrast to the first SAMUM field campaign in Morocco during May/June 2006, where almost only pure Saharan dust was observed, three prominent aerosol types could be distinguished by means of their lidar- and aerosol depolarization-ratio during almost all flight missions over the Cape Verde Islands. Saharan dust plumes were observed to cover the lowermost 2 km above sea level (ASL) and partially mix with the marine boundary layer. Biomass burning aerosol layers which were advected from the central part of Africa reached up to 6 km ASL and contributed a fractional aerosol optical thickness (AOT) as high as 0.3 to the total AOT of the atmospheric column. In this paper we present first results of mineral dust and biomass burning aerosol characterization during SAMUM 2008.