Transportable Lidar for the measurement of ozone concentration and aerosol profiles in the lower troposphere

A very compact, transportable differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for ozone and aerosol profiling in the lower troposphere (from near surface to about 3 km) has been developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Environmental Technology Laboratory. The ozone lidar has been employed in two field experiments in California. the first was in intercomparison experiment of the lidar and an airborne ozone analyzer carried out in the Sacramento valley of northern California during July 1993. The second field experiment involving the ozone lidar was the Free Radical Study, carried out in the Los Angeles basin during September 1993, where the highest ozone episode of the year was observed during the experiment. The system will be described and examples of ozone profiles during the high- ozone episode in inland Los Angeles will be shown.