Development of Data Products for the University of Wisconsin High Spectral Resolution Lidar

An initial deployment of instruments was made during 2005 at Eureka on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic which included the NOAA cloud radar and the University of Wisconsin Arctic High Spectral Resolution Lidar (AHSRL). Both instruments currently return continuous high quality data and in combination, they provide unique information on the optical and micro-physical characteristics of clouds. The eye-safe AHSRL provides vertical profiles of depolarization, optical depth, and backscatter cross section and operates as an Internet Appliance which is remotely controlled from the University of Wisconsin laboratory. The AHSRL is able to gather well-calibrated data sets at much lower cost than possible with conventional lidars. Data is transmitted via the Internet and is made available to researchers around the world in real time via a publicly accessible web site. Construction of the AHSRL was funded by NSF grant OPP-9910304. NOAA provided funds to install the AHSRL in Eureka, and through agreements with the Canadian Network for Arctic Change (CANDAC), NOAA has provided an instrument shelter, Internet communications, electrical power, spare parts, and a technician who tends to all of the SEARCH instrumentation. NOAA is also providing airfare, lodging, and per diem support for University of Wisconsin when maintenance related travel is required to the Eureka site. This proposal requests salary support for the University of Wisconsin personnel who operate the AHSRL and to make the data available to the Arctic research community via their web site. The PI's also propose to prepare and publish climatological summaries of cloud data.