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Water vapor is one of the most important constituents of the earth's atmosphere. It has a major impact on both atmospheric dynamics and radiative transfer. From a dynamic standpoint, the distribution of water vapor with height determines convective stability which is the major indicator of destructive storm development. Also, water vapor stored in the planetary boundary layer acts as the fuel to intensify severe weather. In regards to radiative transfer, water vapor is the most active IR molecule in the atmosphere. It is more effective in absorbing and emitting IR radiation than either carbon dioxide or methane, and thus plays an important role in global change. The main objective of FIRE (First ISSCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment) was to study the development and radiative characteristics of cirrus clouds. The SPECTRE (Spectral Radiation Experiment) project was designed to acquire the necessary atmospheric observations to compare radiative measurements with radiative transfer theory, with special emphasis on understanding the water vapor spectral continuum. The FIRE/SPECTRE field campaign was conducted during Nov. - Dec. 1991 in Coffeyville, Kansas. A complete understanding of water vapor, its distribution with height, and its temporal variation was important for both experiments.

We describe preliminary results from a comprehensive computer model developed to guide optimization of a Raman lidar system for measuring daytime profiles of atmospheric water vapor, emphasizing an ultraviolet, solar-blind approach.

A portion of the fluorescence spectrum of SO2 has been studied using a narrow wavelength doubled dye laser as the exciting source. One purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of SO2 resonance re-emission as a probe of SO2 in the atmosphere. When the SO2 is excited by light at 300.2 nm, for example, a strong reemission peak is observed which is Stokes-shifted from the incident light wavelength by the usual Raman shift (the VI symmetric vibration frequency 1150.5/cm ). The intensity of this peak is sensitive to small changes (.01 nm) in the incident wavelength. Measurements of the N2 quenching and self quenching of this re-emission have been obtained. Preliminary analysis of this data indicates that the quenching is weak but not negligible. The dye laser in our system is pumped by a pulsed N2 laser. Tuning 'and spectral narrowing are accomplished using a telescope-echelle grating combination. In a high power configuration the resulting pulses have a spectral width of about 5 x 10(exp -3) nm and a time duration of about 6 nsec. The echelle grating is rotated by a digital stepping motor, such that each step shifts the wavelength by 6 x 10(exp -4) nm. In addition to the tunable, narrow wavelength uv source and spectral analysis of the consequent re-emission, the system also provides time resolution of the re-emitted light to 6 nsec resolution. This capability is being used to study the lifetime of low pressure S02 fluorescence at different wavelengths and pressures.