Articles | Volume 5, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-1333-2012
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-1333-2012
Research article
 | 
13 Jun 2012
Research article |  | 13 Jun 2012

A Raman lidar at La Reunion (20.8° S, 55.5° E) for monitoring water vapour and cirrus distributions in the subtropical upper troposphere: preliminary analyses and description of a future system

C. Hoareau, P. Keckhut, J.-L. Baray, L. Robert, Y. Courcoux, J. Porteneuve, H. Vömel, and B. Morel

Abstract. A ground-based Rayleigh lidar has provided continuous observations of tropospheric water vapour profiles and cirrus cloud using a preliminary Raman channels setup on an existing Rayleigh lidar above La Reunion over the period 2002–2005. With this instrument, we performed a first measurement campaign of 350 independent water vapour profiles. A statistical study of the distribution of water vapour profiles is presented and some investigations concerning the calibration are discussed. Analysis regarding the cirrus clouds is presented and a classification has been performed showing 3 distinct classes. Based on these results, the characteristics and the design of a future lidar system, to be implemented at the new Reunion Island altitude observatory (2200 m) for long-term monitoring, is presented and numerical simulations of system performance have been realised to compare both instruments.

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