Arctic study on tropospheric aerosol and radiation: Comparison of tropospheric aerosol extinction profiles measured by airborne photometer and SAGE II

Abstract

The Arctic Study on Tropospheric Aerosol and Radiation (ASTAR) is focused on understanding the climate effects of Arctic haze. As a part of this experiment, a tropospheric aerosol extinction profile was obtained by airborne sun photometer spatially and temporally close to a satellite-based measurement. The results suggest that airborne photometry is a promising avenue for the validation of satellite-derived aerosol extinction measurements in the middle and upper troposphere. The results also suggest that SAGE II measurements can be used to provide a regional context to more intensive but spatially limited aircraft and ground-based data sets.