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We conducted an observational survey using a ground-based water vapor Raman lidar (RL) during the warm season in Japan to investigate the water vapor structure of low-level inflows that contribute to the formation of a mesoscale convective system (MCS). After the passage of a warm front, low-level moisture convergence contributed to the initiation and development of numerous convective clouds that composed the MCS. The RL observations showed that the vertical profiles of the water vapor mixing ratio (WVMR) associated with low-level inflows into the MCS exceeded 20 g kg−1 below 500 m above sea level, which is comparable to WVMRs in previous reports associated with MCSs in Japan and the United States. We conducted two assimilation experiments using a four-dimensional variational data assimilation system: one is to assimilate operational observational data (CNTL), and the other is to assimilate WVMR vertical profiles and operational observational data (TEST). A comparison between TEST and CNTL showed that data assimilation of the WVMR vertical profiles not only modified the moisture field but also the wind field. It appears that the modifications observed in horizontal wind are related to the modification of the WVMR in the analysis fields. These WVMR and wind modifications improved the reproduction of the frontal surface and forecasting of 6-h precipitation amount slightly. Data assimilation of vertical profiles of the WVMR has positive and negative impacts on the WVMR and horizontal wind, respectively, implying that the vertical profiles of both the horizontal wind and the WVMR might better estimate initial conditions and forecasts. Significance Statement Low-level moisture inflows are one of the key parameters involved in the formation of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Therefore, data assimilation of low-level moisture profiles is one of the prospective methods for better forecasting heavy precipitation associated with MCSs. However, few direct observations of the low-level moisture structure associated with MCSs and data assimilation experiments have been undertaken to date. We observed the vertical profiles of moisture associated with an MCS in Japan using a ground-based water vapor Raman lidar and show the existence of a relatively moist low-level inflow into the MCS. The data assimilation of low-level moisture has positive and negative impacts on moisture and horizontal wind, respectively, and improves slightly 6-h precipitation forecasts.

The eruption of the submarine Hunga Tonga Hunga Hapaii volcano on 15 January 2022 was associated with a powerful blast that injected sulfur and water to altitudes up to 58 km. In this study, we combine the data from various satellite instruments (MLS, OMPS-LP, CALIOP, SAGE III, Aeolus, COSMIC-2, ACE-FTS, GOES, Himawari), ground-based lidars at various locations, meteorological radiosoundings as well as model simulation using CLaMS chemistry-transport model to investigate the evolution of the stratospheric moisture and sulfate aerosol plume at a wide range of scales—from minutes and kilometres to monthly and planetary scale. We show that due to extreme altitude reach of the eruption, the volcanic plume has circumnavigated the Earth in only one week and dispersed nearly pole-to-pole in three months. The observations provide evidence for an unprecedented increase in the global stratospheric water mass by 13% as compared to climatological levels. As there are no efficient sinks of water vapour in the stratosphere, this perturbation is expected to persist several years. The eruption has also led to a 5-fold increase in the stratospheric aerosol load, the highest in the last three decades yet factor of 6 smaller than the previous major eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991.The unique nature and magnitude of the global stratospheric perturbation by the Hunga eruption ranks it among the most remarkable climatic events in the modern observation era. Given the expected longevity of the stratospheric humidity perturbation, the Hunga eruption can be said to have initiated a new era in stratospheric gaseous chemistry and particle microphysics with a wide range of potential long-lasting repercussions for the global stratospheric composition and dynamics. The eruption has thus provided a unique natural testbed, lending itself to studies of climate sensitivity to strong change in both stratospheric gaseous and particulate composition.Spanning more than one year, the satellite and ground-based observations available to-date enable the first accurate assessment of the annual-scale stratospheric aftermath of the Hunga Tonga eruption, uncovering its climate-altering capacity.

The Australian bushfires of 2019/20 caused a massive injection of combustion products into the stratosphere that led to a persistent planetary-scale perturbation of all stratospheric climate-relevant variables. This extreme event enabled study of a striking atmospheric phenomenon, the smoke-charged vortex (SCV) – a persistent synoptic-scale anticyclone, which acts to confine the carbon-rich aerosol clouds during their solar-driven rise. This way, highly-concentrated absorbing aerosols are lofted above 30 km, which prolongs their stratospheric residence time and radiative effects. Here, we use lidar observations at Lauder, New Zealand together with high-resolution radiosonde data and ozone soundings as well as satellite observations (CALIPSO, MLS, TROPOMI) and ERA5 reanalysis to characterize the optical, chemical and thermodynamical properties of a matured 7-km-tall SCV during its transfer over the South Island at 27 km altitude. The gaseous composition of the SCV was characterized by strongly enhanced water vapour and depleted ozone concentrations, leading to a synoptic-scale ozone hole with the total column reduced by up to 20%. The lidar measurements reveal a characteristic bottom-side elongation of the smoke bubble – a tail of aerosols extending over hundreds of kilometers and rotating together with the main body. Using long-term ground-based lidar and satellite measurement records, we show that monthly-mean stratospheric aerosol optical depth in early 2020 was highest since the major eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. With that, the removal of smoke aerosol from the stratosphere took longer than one year.

Eastward airmass transport from the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) often involves eastward shedding vortices, which can cover most of the Japanese archipelago. We investigated the aerosol characteristics of these vortices by analysing data from two lidar systems in Japan, at Tsukuba (36.1° N, 140.1° E) and Fukuoka (33.55° N, 130.36° E), during the summer of 2018. We observed several events with enhanced particle signals at Tsukuba at 15.5–18 km altitude (at or above the local tropopause) during August–September 2018, with a backscattering ratio of ~1.10 and particle depolarization of ~5 % (i.e., not spherical, but more spherical than ice crystals). These particle characteristics may be consistent with those of solid aerosol particles, such as ammonium nitrate. Each event had a timescale of a few days. During the same study period, we also observed similar enhanced particle signals in the lower stratosphere at Fukuoka. The upper troposphere is often covered by cirrus clouds at both lidar sites. Backward trajectory calculations for these sites for days with enhanced particle signals in the lower stratosphere and days without indicate that the former airmasses originated within the ASM anticyclone, and the latter more from edge regions. Reanalysis carbon-monoxide and satellite water-vapour data indicate that eastward shedding vortices were involved in the observed aerosol enhancements. Satellite aerosol data confirm that the period and latitudinal region were free from the direct influence of documented volcanic eruptions and high latitude forest fires. Our results indicate that the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) over the ASM region extends east towards Japan in association with the eastward shedding vortices, and that lidar systems in Japan can detect at least the lower stratospheric portion of the ATAL during periods when the lower stratosphere is undisturbed by volcanic eruptions and forest fires. The upper tropospheric portion of the ATAL is either depleted by tropospheric processes (convection and wet scavenging) during eastward transport or is obscured by much stronger cirrus cloud signals.

To validate products of the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), we observed vertical profiles of aerosols, thin cirrus clouds, and tropospheric ozone with a mobile-lidar system that consisted of a two-wavelength (532 and 1064 nm) polarization lidar and a tropospheric ozone differential absorption lidar (DIAL). We used these lidars to make continuous measurements over Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) during 20–31 March 2015. High ozone and high aerosol concentrations were observed almost simultaneously in the altitude range 0.5–1.5 km from 03:00 to 20:00 Japan Standard Time (JST) on 22 March 2015. The maximum ozone volume mixing ratio was ∼ 110 ppbv. The maxima of the aerosol extinction coefficient and optical depth at 532 nm were 1.2 km−1 and 2.1, respectively. Backward trajectory analysis and the simulations by the Model of Aerosol Species IN the Global AtmospheRe (MASINGAR) mk-2 and the Meteorological Research Institute Chemistry-Climate Model, version 2 (MRI-CCM2), indicated that mineral dust particles from the Gobi Desert and an air mass with high ozone and aerosol (mainly sulfate) concentrations that originated from the North China Plain could have been transported over the measurement site within about 2 days. These high ozone and aerosol concentrations impacted surface air quality substantially in the afternoon of 22 March 2015. After some modifications of its physical and chemical parameters, MRI-CCM2 approximately reproduced the high ozone volume mixing ratio. MASINGAR mk-2 successfully predicted high aerosol concentrations, but the predicted peak aerosol optical thickness was about one-third of the observed value.

We used a lower tropospheric ozone column (LTOC) and column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of carbon monoxide (XCO) data observed in the area around Saga, which is located in western Japan and is close to the Asian continent, with an aim to investigate whether these data can characterize the seasonal variation of the photochemical ozone (O3) formation in the northeast Asian Pacific rim region. The LTOC data after April 2009 were retrieved from thermal infrared spectra measured by the Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) onboard the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). The XCO data after July 2011 were obtained from ground-based high-resolution FTS measurements at Saga. The retrieved LTOCs were validated with those derived from a differential absorption lidar for O3 at Saga. The LTOCs showed a distinct seasonal variation that reached a maximum in late spring (May or June) and a local minimum in winter. In addition to the general seasonal pattern, we observed pronounced minimums in July or August. The XCO concentrations showed a maximum in spring and a minimum in summer. These seasonal patterns are consistent with those observed from mountainous sites in Japan. The origins of the air masses reaching Saga were characterized for each season according to backward trajectories, and the factors causing the temporal variations of the LTOCs and the XCO were identified based on the transport paths of the air masses. The enhancement of the LTOC relative to the XCO (ΔO3/ΔCO ratio) reveals significant positive correlations in the spring and summer seasons with slopes of 0.21 and 0.45 ppb/ppb, respectively. The effects of stratospheric air intrusion on the observed ΔO3/ΔCO ratio in spring were investigated using meteorological data (backward trajectory and potential vorticity) and column-averaged hydrogen fluoride data derived from the ground-based FTS measurements. It was found that there was little contribution of the stratospheric intrusion. This suggests that the positive correlations of the ΔO3/ΔCO ratio are likely to be a result of photochemical O3 production in the troposphere.

We developed an automated compact mobile Raman lidar (MRL) system for measuring the vertical distribution of the water vapor mixing ratio (w) in the lower troposphere, which has an affordable cost and is easy to operate. The MRL was installed in a small trailer for easy deployment and can start measurement in a few hours, and it is capable of unattended operation for several months. We describe the MRL system and present validation results obtained by comparing the MRL-measured data with collocated radiosonde, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and high-resolution objective analysis data. The comparison results showed that MRL-derived w agreed within 10 % (root-mean-square difference of 1.05 g kg−1) with values obtained by radiosonde at altitude ranges between 0.14 and 1.5 km in the daytime and between 0.14 and 5–6 km at night in the absence of low clouds; the vertical resolution of the MRL measurements was 75–150 m, their temporal resolution was less than 20 min, and the measurement uncertainty was less than 30 %. MRL-derived precipitable water vapor values were similar to or slightly lower than those obtained by GNSS at night, when the maximum height of MRL measurements exceeded 5 km. The MRL-derived w values were at most 1 g kg−1 (25 %) larger than local analysis data. A total of 4 months of continuous operation of the MRL system demonstrated its utility for monitoring water vapor distributions in the lower troposphere.

To improve the lead time and accuracy of predictions of localized heavy rainfall, which can cause extensive damage in urban areas in Japan, we developed a mobile Raman lidar (RL) system for measuring the vertical distribution of the water vapor mixing ratio (w) in the lower troposphere. The RL was installed in a small trailer for easy deployment to the upwind side of potential rainfall areas to monitor the inflow of moist air before rainfall events. We describe the lidar system and present validation results obtained by comparing the RL-measured data with collocated radiosonde, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and high-resolution objective analysis data. The comparison results showed that RL-derived w agreed within 10 % with values obtained by radiosonde at altitude ranges between 0.14 and 1.5 km in the daytime and between 0.14 and 5–6 km at night in the absence of low clouds; the vertical resolution of the RL measurements was 75–150 m, their temporal resolution was less than 20 min, and the measurement uncertainty was less than 30 %. RL-derived precipitable water vapor values were similar to or slightly lower than those obtained by GNSS at night, when the maximum height of RL measurements exceeded 5 km. The RL-derived w values were at most 1 g/kg (25 %) larger than local analysis data. Four months of continuous operation of the RL system demonstrated its utility for monitoring water vapor distributions for heavy rain forecasting.

Solar absorption spectra in the near-infrared region have been continuously acquired with a ground-based (g-b) high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at Saga, Japan, since July 2011. Column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of greenhouse gases were retrieved from the measured spectra for the period from July 2011 to December 2014. Aircraft measurements of CO2 and CH4 for calibrating the g-b FTS data were performed in January 2012 and 2013, and it is found that the g-b FTS and aircraft data agree to within ± 0.2 %. The column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4 (XCO2 and XCH4) show increasing trends, with average growth rates of 2.3 and 9.5 ppb yr−1, respectively, during the ∼ 3.5 yr of observation. We compared the g-b FTS XCO2 and XCH4 data with those derived from backscattered solar spectra in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) region measured with Thermal And Near-infrared Sensor for carbon Observation–Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) onboard the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT): NIES SWIR Level 2 products (versions 02.xx). Average differences between TANSO-FTS and g-b FTS data (TANSO-FTS minus g-b FTS) are 0.40 ± 2.51 and −7.6 ± 13.7 ppb for XCO2 and XCH4, respectively. Using aerosol information measured with a sky radiometer at Saga, we found that the differences between the TANSO-FTS and g-b FTS XCO2 data are moderately negatively correlated with aerosol optical thickness and do not depend explicitly on aerosol size. In addition, from several aerosol profiles measured with lidar located right by the g-b FTS, we were able to show that the presence of cirrus clouds tends to cause an overestimation in the TANSO-FTS XCO2 retrieval, while high aerosol loading in the lower troposphere tends to cause an underestimation.

Ceilometers are durable compact backscatter lidars widely used to detect cloud base height. They are also useful for measuring aerosols. We introduced a ceilometer (CL51) for observing dust in a source region in Mongolia. For retrieving aerosol profiles with a backscatter lidar, the molecular backscatter signal in the aerosol free heights or system constant of the lidar is required. Although the system constant of the ceilometer is calibrated by the manufacturer, it is not necessarily accurate enough for the aerosol retrieval. We determined a correction factor, which is defined as the ratio of true attenuated backscattering coefficient to the measured attenuated backscattering coefficient, for the CL51 ceilometer using a dual-wavelength Mie-scattering lidar in Tsukuba, Japan before moving the ceilometer to Dalanzadgad, Mongolia. The correction factor determined by minimizing the difference between the ceilometer and lidar backscattering coefficients was approximately 1.2±0.1. Applying the correction to the CL51 signals, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) agreed well with the sky-radiometer AOD during the observation period (13–17 February 2013) in Tsukuba ( 9 × 10 − 3 of mean square error). After moving the ceilometer to Dalanzadgad, however, the AOD observed with the CL51 (calibrated by the correction factor determined in Tsukuba) was approximately 60% of the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sun photometer AOD. The possible causes of the lower AOD results are as follows: (1) the limited height range of extinction integration ( 3 km ); (2) change in the correction factor during the ceilometer transportation or with the window contamination in Mongolia. In both cases, on-site calibrations by dual-wavelength lidar are needed. As an alternative method, we showed that the backward inversion method was useful for retrieving extinction coefficients if the AOD was larger than 1.5. This retrieval method does not require the system constant and molecular backscatter signals, and can be applied to severe dust and air pollution aerosol cases in East Asia.

We present results of one-year of measurements, some interesting phenomena like CO and CH4 enhancements, and comparisons with satellite data at Burgos TCCON site in the Philippines, as well as activities involving participation in aircraft observation campaigns such as EMeRGe-Asia and NASA CAMP2Ex.

In recent years, the frequency of occurrence of locally heavy rainfall that can cause extensive damages, has been increasing in Japan. For early prediction of heavy rainfall, it is useful to measure the water vapor vertical distribution upwind cumulus convection beforehand. For that purpose, we have been developing compact water vapor differential absorption lidar (DIAL). We show the results of the measurements with lidar in summer when the local heavy rainfall frequently occurs in Japan. We also show the preliminary result of the assimilation of the lidar data to the numerical model and impact on the heavy rainfall prediction.

The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) is a global network dedicated to the precise and accurate measurements of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. The TCCON station in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, Philippines was established with the primary purpose of validating the upcoming Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite-2 (GOSAT-2) mission and in general, to respond to the need for reliable ground-based validation data for satellite GHG observations in the region. Here, we present the first 4 months of data from the new TCCON site in Burgos, initial comparisons with satellite measurements of C O 2 and model simulations of C O . A nearest sounding from Japan’s GOSAT as well as target mode observations from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) showed very good consistency in the retrieved column-averaged dry air mole fractions of C O 2 , yielding TCCON - satellite differences of 0.86 ± 1.06 ppm for GOSAT and 0.83 ± 1.22 ppm for OCO-2. We also show measurements of enhanced C O , probably from East Asia. GEOS-Chem model simulations were used to study the observed C O variability. However, despite the model capturing the pattern of the C O variability, there is an obvious underestimation in the C O magnitude in the model. We conclude that more measurements and modeling are necessary to adequately sample the variability over different seasons and to determine the suitability of current inventories.

Understanding the cooling effect of recent volcanoes is of particular interest in the context of the post-2000 slowing of the rate of global warming. Satellite observations of aerosol optical depth above 15 km have demonstrated that small-magnitude volcanic eruptions substantially perturb incoming solar radiation. Here we use lidar, Aerosol Robotic Network, and balloon-borne observations to provide evidence that currently available satellite databases neglect substantial amounts of volcanic aerosol between the tropopause and 15 km at middle to high latitudes and therefore underestimate total radiative forcing resulting from the recent eruptions. Incorporating these estimates into a simple climate model, we determine the global volcanic aerosol forcing since 2000 to be −0.19 ± 0.09 Wm−2. This translates into an estimated global cooling of 0.05 to 0.12°C. We conclude that recent volcanic events are responsible for more post-2000 cooling than is implied by satellite databases that neglect volcanic aerosol effects below 15 km.

We have improved an ozone DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system, originally developed in March 2010. The improved DIAL system consists of a Nd:YAG laser and a 2 m Raman cell filled with 8.1 × 105 Pa of CO2 gas which generate four Stokes lines (276, 287, 299, and 312 nm) of stimulated Raman scattering, and two receiving telescopes with diameters of 49 and 10 cm. Using this system, 44 ozone profiles were observed in the 1–6 km altitude range over Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) in 2012. High-ozone layers were observed at around 2 km altitude during April and May. Ozone column amounts within the 1–6 km altitude range were almost constant (19.1 DU on average) from January to March, and increased to 26.7 DU from late April to July. From mid-July through August, ozone column amounts decreased greatly to 14.3 DU because of exchanges of continental and maritime air masses. Then in mid-September they increased again to 22.1 DU within 1−6 km, and subsequently decreased slowly to 17.3 DU, becoming almost constant by December. The Meteorological Research Institute's chemistry–climate model version 2 (MRI-CCM2) successfully predicted most of these ozone variations with the following exceptions. MRI-CCM2 could not predict the high-ozone volume mixing ratios measured at around 2 km altitude on 5 May and 11 May, possibly in part because emissions were assumed in the model to be constant (climatological data were used). Ozone volume mixing ratios predicted by MRI-CCM2 were low in the 2–6 km range on 7 July and high in the 1–4 km range on 19 July compared with those measured by DIAL.

The vertical distributions of the microphysical and optical properties of tropospheric aerosols and cirrus cloud were measured using an instrumented balloon and a ground-based Raman lidar over Tsukuba, Japan (36°N, 140°E), during the Asian dust events on 9 and 21 May 2007 to investigate the influence of Asian mineral dust on ice cloud formation in the upper troposphere. The instrumented balloon measured the particle size distribution, ice crystal images, dew/frost point, relative humidity, and temperature. The Raman lidar measured the particle backscattering and extinction coefficients and the depolarization ratio at a wavelength of 532 nm. The results of the balloon measurements showed that supermicrometer (0.7 to 2.8 µm in optical-equivalent radius) dust particles and ice crystals (10 to 400 µm in maximum dimension) were present in the upper troposphere (8 to 12 km in altitude), with number concentrations varying from 5 × 10−3 to 0.6 cm−3 for dust and from 5 × 10−3 to 0.15 cm−3 for ice crystals. The Raman lidar measurement indicated that the particle depolarization ratios were 15 to 35% in the altitude range of 6 to 12 km, indicating the predominance of nonspherical particles in the region. The temperature ranged from −33 to −63°C, and the relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi), estimated from the total (vapor plus condensate) water content obtained with the Snow White hygrometer in the cloud, was 130% at maximum on 9 May, which was close to the activation point of Asian mineral dust as ice nuclei to form ice crystals.

Two elevated fine particulate mass concentration events were observed in a span of a week in northern Philippines on March of 2017. Results from chemical characterization, lidar observation, and model simulations of particulate matter show the high aerosol concentration events to be caused by long range transport (LRT) of anthropogenic pollutants from northern East Asia at the surface and biomass burning emission from Indochina aloft. In this study, we investigated the transport path of these LRT aerosols and estimated their direct radiative forcing. A strong Siberian high and a confluent flow induced by a continental high over the main Asian continent and a cyclonic circulation over the south of Japan produced a strong northerly wind that carried pollutants from northern East Asia to northern Philippines. At the same time, strong westerlies 2–4 km aloft carried biomass burning emissions from Indochina, which also had an impact on ground concentration. Mass extinction efficiency of LRT aerosols was estimated to be in the range of 2.06–6.44 m2g-1 with a mean value of 4.32 ± 1.32 m2g−1. In addition, we calculated the direct radiative forcing effect under clear sky condition and found that the transported aerosols had a mean net negative forcing (cooling) effect of −50.80 ± 12.38 Wm−2 and −11.98 ± 3.96 Wm−2 on surface and at the top of the atmosphere, respectively. Such pollutant transport during wintertime cold surges had been shown to reduce local surface pollutants in northern China. Consequently, its impacts shift to downwind regions as far as the Philippines. As winter cold surge frequency increases due to the warming arctic, more LRT events may be expected as a result of climate change.

To validate products of the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), we observed vertical profiles of aerosols, thin cirrus clouds, and tropospheric ozone with a mobile lidar system that consisted of a two-wavelength (532 and 1064 nm) polarization lidar and a tropospheric ozone Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL). We used these lidars to make continuous measurements over Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) during 20–31 March 2015. High ozone and high aerosol concentrations were observed almost simultaneously in the altitude range 0.5–1.5 km from 03:00 to 20:00 Japan Standard Time on 22 March 2015. The maximum ozone volume mixing ratio was ~ 110 ppbv. The maxima of the aerosol extinction coefficient and optical depth at 532 nm were 1.2 km−1 and 2.1, respectively. Backward trajectory analysis indicated that an air mass with high ozone and aerosol concentrations could have been transported from Northeast Asia. Based on the lidar data and the ground-based in-situ measurements at Saga, this air mass could have been transported to the surface by vertical mixing when the planetary boundary layer developed in the daytime. This plume, which contained high ozone and aerosol pollutant concentrations, impacted surface air quality substantially. After some modifications of its physical and chemical parameters, the Meteorological Research Institute Chemistry-Climate Model, version 2 (MRI-CCM2) approximately reproduced the high-ozone volume-mixing ratio. The Model of Aerosol Species IN the Global AtmospheRe (MASINGAR) mk-2 successfully predicted high aerosol concentrations, but the predicted peak aerosol optical thickness was about one-third of the observed value.

An increase in stratospheric aerosols caused by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Nabro (13.37° N, 41.70° E) on 12 June 2011 was detected by lidar at Tsukuba (36.05° N, 140.13° E) and Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) in Japan. The maximum backscattering ratios at a wavelength of 532 nm were 2.0 at 17.0 km on 10 July 2011 at Tsukuba and 3.6 at 18.2 km on 23 June 2011 at Saga. The maximum integrated backscattering coefficients (IBCs) at 532 nm above the first tropopause height were 4.18×10−4 sr−1 on 11 February 2012 at Tsukuba and 4.19×10−4 sr−1 on 23 June 2011 at Saga, respectively. A time series of lidar observational results at Tsukuba have also been reported from January 2008 through May 2012. Increases in stratospheric aerosols were observed after the volcanic eruptions of Mt. Kasatochi (52.18° N, 175.51° E) in August 2008 and Mt. Sarychev Peak (48.09° N, 153.20° E) in June 2009. The yearly averaged IBCs at Tsukuba were 2.54×10−4 sr−1, 2.48×10−4 sr−1, 2.45×10−4 sr−1, and 2.20×10−4 sr−1 for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. These values were about twice the IBC background level (1.21×10−4 sr−1) from 1997 to 2001 at Tsukuba. We briefly discuss the influence of the increased aerosols on climate and the implications for analysis of satellite data.

Collocated and simultaneous measurements of aerosols near the ground were conducted using a lidar and aerosol sampler at Tsukuba, Japan, to clarify the relationship between lidar-derived optical properties and in-situ microphysical properties. The total linear particle depolarization ratio (δp) ranged from 14% to 18% when nonspherical mineral dust particles were predominant in the supermicrometer range on May 7–8, 2008, whereas it ranged from 6% to 7% when spherical sea-salt particles were predominant in that range on September 3–4, 2008. Sulfates and nitrates were predominant in the submicrometer range for these two periods. Water-dialysis analysis on May 6–7 indicated that 29% of the coarse particles were water insoluble, whereas 70% were water soluble or nearly soluble on September 3–4. The ratio of dry mass concentration to the backscattering coefficient (M/βp) was 34–39 g m−2 sr on May 7–8 and 6.2–6.3 g m−2 sr on September 3–4. Our results provide evidence that lidar-derived βp and δp capture the aerosol mass concentration and relative abundance of the spherical and nonspherical particles although the microphysical properties vary significantly for individual particles.

Lidar observations of the stratospheric aerosol layer have been carried out at Tsukuba and Naha, Japan, and at Lauder, New Zealand. Evolution of the volcanic aerosols originating from the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruptions, and the subsequent trend and seasonal variations of the background aerosols, are evaluated. Stratospheric aerosol drastically increased to about 30 to 100 times of the background level after the eruption, and returned to calm condition after about five years. The e-folding time of the integrated backscattering coefficient of Pinatubo aerosols at the three stations shows similar values between 1.14 and 1.37 years. The column amount of background stratospheric aerosol over Lauder is about 3 times as much as that over Naha, and that over Tsukuba is between the other two sites. Seasonal variation of stratospheric aerosol over Tsukuba shows the largest value and is nearly 10 times as much as that over Naha. The background aerosols over Lauder increased after around 2000. The increasing rate observed over Lauder is about 3.8%/year from 2000 to 2009.

In this paper, a field-deployable diode-laser-based differential absorption lidar (DIAL) has been developed for lower-tropospheric water vapor observation in Tokyo, Japan. A photoacoustic cell is used for spectroscopy experiment around absorption peaks of 829.022 nm and 829.054 nm. The water vapor density extracted from the observational data agrees with the referenced radiosonde data. Furthermore, we applied modulated pulse technique for DIAL transmitter. It enables DIAL to measure water vapor profile for both low and high altitude regions.

The vertical distribution of stratospheric aerosols has been measured with lidars at the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) over Tsukuba since 1982. After two major volcanic eruptions (Mt. El Chichon in 1982 and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991), stratospheric aerosol loading increased about 50–100 times compared with the background level which was observed for 1997-2000. From 2000 to 2012, a slight increase (5.3% year–1) was observed by some volcanic eruptions. This long-term lidar data have been used for assessing of impact of the stratospheric aerosols on climate and the ozone layer.

molec. m �3 (～100 ppbv below 1.5 km above sea level ASL) observed on 28 July and 20 August, and the low concentrations on the other days below 1.5 km ASL, as well as day-to-day variations above 1.5 km ASL. The formation mechanism of the observed O3 layer in the typical northward transport case on 28 July was also examined by the model. The O3 plumes entered the free troposphere through vertical transport and mixing near the sea breeze front and southward transport by the return flow in the afternoon. In the evening, the O3 layer formed at 0.7�1.5 km ASL possibly because of less transport between the sea breeze and return flow and longer photochemical lifetime than at the surface.

Optical and microphysical properties of the upper clouds at an altitude range of 5–11 km were measured over Tsukuba, Japan, on 29–30 March 2004 using a ground-based Raman lidar and a balloon-borne hydrometeor videosonde (HYVIS). The Raman lidar measured the vertical distributions of the particle extinction coefficient, backscattering coefficients, depolarization ratio, and extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) at 532 nm; further, it measured the water vapor mixing ratio. The HYVIS measured the vertical distributions of the particle size, shape, cross-sectional area, and number concentration of the cloud particles by taking microscopic images. The HYVIS measurement showed that the cloud particles were ice crystals whose shapes were columnar, bulletlike, platelike, and irregular, and 7–400 μm in size. The Raman lidar measurement showed that the depolarization ratio ranged from 0% to 35% and the lidar ranged from 0.3 to 30 sr for the clouds in ice-saturated air. The comparison between the measured data and theoretical calculations of the cloud optical properties suggests that the observed variations in the depolarization ratio and lidar ratio were primarily due to the variation in the proportion of the horizontally oriented ice crystals in the clouds. The optical thickness of the cloud obtained from the lidar was about 2 times lower than that calculated from the HYVIS data, and the maximum extinction coefficient was about 5 times lower than the HYVIS data. The most probable reason for the differences is the horizontal inhomogeneities of the cloud properties between the measurements sites for the two instruments.

We have presented the vertical distributions, between 0.5 and 5.5 km, of particles, volatile sulfur compounds, sulfur dioxide, O3, and fractions of sulfur over the Japan Sea coast, Wakasa Bay, on 23 April 1996 and 28 December 1995. Comparison of these measurements showed that free tropospheric concentrations of particles and short-lived sulfur gases (CS2, H2S, SO2) on 23 April 1996 were significantly higher than those on 28 December 1995. Clustered isentropic backward trajectory analysis and meteorological data indicated that the difference was associated with air mass transport routes and meteorological conditions. On 23 April 1996, coarse size particles (mineral dust particles) were injected over the arid region associated with dust storms. During transport by westerly winds, these coarse size particles were mixed with short-lived sulfur gases injected by convection over an industrial region. The presence of DMS, confined to the boundary layer, indicated that Asian continental outflow can be modified during long-range transport through mixing with marine air in the boundary layer over the Japan Sea. On the other hand, on 28 December 1995, low concentrations of particles and short-lived sulfur gases, measured at altitudes above 3.0 km, were due to air mass subsidence. It is likely that some photochemical processing was also due to low concentrations of short-lived sulfur gases. Vertical distributions of O3 concentrations and values of sulfur fraction (SO42−/(SO42−+SO2)) supported this interpretation. There was no significant difference in concentrations of long-lived COS, except for one sample on 23 April 1996. The low COS concentration coincided with significantly high concentrations of CS2, suggesting rapid upward transport of COS depleted air masses from the surface.

The Aeolian Dust Experiment on Climate Impact (ADEC) was initiated in April 2000 as a joint five-year Japan–China project. The goal was to understand the impact of aeolian dust on climate via radiative forcing (RF). Field experiments and numerical simulations were conducted from the source regions in northwestern China to the downwind region in Japan in order to understand wind erosion processes temporal and spatial distribution of dust during their long-range transportation chemical, physical, and optical properties of dust and the direct effect of radiative forcing due to dust. For this, three intensive observation periods (IOP) were conducted from April 2002 to April 2004. The in situ and network observation results are summarized as follows: (1) In situ observations of the wind erosion process revealed that the vertical profile of moving sand has a clear size dependency with height and saltation flux and that threshold wind velocity is dependent on soil moisture. Results also demonstrated that saltation flux is strongly dependent on the parent soil size distribution of the desert surface. (2) Both lidar observations and model simulations revealed a multiple dust layer in East Asia. A numerical simulation of a chemical transport model, CFORS, illustrated the elevated dust layer from the Taklimakan Desert and the lower dust layer from the Gobi Desert. The global-scale dust model, MASINGAR, also simulated the dust layer in the middle to upper free troposphere in East Asia, which originated from North Africa and the Middle East during a dust storm in March 2003. Raman lidar observations at Tsukuba, Japan, found the ice cloud associated with the dust layer at an altitude of 6 to 9 km. Analysis from lidar and the radio-sonde observation suggested that the Asian dust acted as ice nuclei at the ice-saturated region. These results suggest the importance of dust's climate impact via the indirect effect of radiative forcing due to the activation of dust into ice nuclei. (3) Studies on the aerosol concentration indicated that size distributions of aerosols in downwind regions have bimodal peaks. One peak was in the submicron range and the other in the supermicron range. The main soluble components of the supermicron peak were Na+, Ca2+, NO3−, and Cl−. In the downwind region in Japan, the dust, sea salt, and a mixture of the two were found to be dominant in coarse particles in the mixed boundary layer. (4) Observation of the optical properties of dust by sky-radiometer, particle shoot absorption photometer (PSAP), and Nephelometer indicated that unpolluted dust at source region has a weaker absorption than originally believed. A sensitivity experiment of direct RF by dust indicated that single scattering albedo is the most important of the optical properties of dust and that the sensitivity of instantaneous RF in the shortwave region at the top of the atmosphere to the refractive index strongly depends on surface albedo. A global scale dust model, MASINGAR, was used for evaluation of direct RF due to dust. The results indicated the global mean RF at the top and the bottom of the atmosphere were − 0.46 and − 2.13 W m− 2 with cloud and were almost half of the RF with cloud-free condition.

The vertical distributions of water vapor, aerosols and cloud backscattering, and three-dimensional wind were measured using a Raman lidar and a wind profiler during the passage ofa non-precipitating cold front during the night of 19-20 March 2002 over Tsukuba, Japan. The passage of the cold frontal head was identified by a sharp drop in the temperature at a height of 213 m, when the backscattering ratios sharply decreased below an altitude of approximately 2.7 km. The water vapor mixing ratios showed high values (∼2.5 g kg−1) around the frontal head. Arc clouds were observed in the watersaturated air above the frontal head in updraft regions (∼1 m s−1). The cold air mass showed the geometrical and dynamical characteristics of gravity (density) currents: nose and head identified by the lowbackscattering ratio region at the leading edge, billow-like patterns in the backscattering ratio behind the head, and feeder flows within the head (in a positive direction toward the frontal head). The observed height, and the propagation speed of the cold air mass, approximately agreed with those calculated from surface meteorological data using gravity current models, although there were uncertainties in the calculated values because of the lack of the vertical distributions of temperature and pressure data.

Vertical distributions of stratospheric aerosols have been measured with lidars over Tsukuba, Japan since 1982 and Lauder, New Zealand since 1992 to study the long-term and seasonal variations and influences of climate change. After volcanic eruptions of El Chichon in 1982 and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, the vertically integrated stratospheric aerosol backscattering coefficient (IBC) increased to over 30 times the minimum level over the two sites. The IBC increased to more than twice the minimum over Tsukuba after volcanic eruptions in the northern high latitudes (Okmok, Kasatochi and Sarychev) and tropics (Nabro) between 2000 and 2011. Over Lauder, the IBC increased to more than twice the minimum after volcanic eruptions in the southern high latitudes (Puyehue-Cordon Caulle and Calbuco) and tropics (Kelud) between 2011 and 2015. The IBC showed seasonal variations with higher values in winter than in summer over the two sites. The mean radiative forcing by the stratospheric aerosols during the period 2000 − 2015 is estimated to be −0.15 ± 0.07 and −0.13 ± 0.06 Wm−2 over the two sites, which partially canceled the increase of global mean radiative forcing by CO2.

Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties and relative humidity were measured with a Raman lidar at Nagoya and Tsukuba, Japan, during the Asian dust events in 2000 and 2001. The data obtained on 23 April 2001 showed a maximum of aerosol backscattering ratio (R) of 3.5–4.0 at 532 nm at an altitude of 5 km over both measurement sites. Around that height the aerosol depolarization ratios (δa), which indicate the aerosol nonsphericity, were higher than 20% and the relative humidities (RH) were lower than 30%. The aerosol optical thickness between 4 and 7 km was 0.18±0.02 and the average aerosol extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) was 46±5 sr at Tsukuba. This aerosol layer was present for over 6 h and finally showed the highest δa value of about 33% and the lidar ratio of 10±3 sr at the uppermost region, where the RH was almost saturated with respect to ice. The data obtained on 4 May 2000 at Nagoya showed relatively high R values (∼2.5) below 5 km . The values of δa were higher than 15% between 3.5 and 8 km in which the maximum RH was about 60%. The values of δa and RH showed a weak negative correlation below 3.5 km , where the RH varied between 30% and 70%. In the 5– 8 km region, the δa values were correlated negatively with the wavelength exponent of the aerosol backscattering coefficient (α), whereas they showed the lowest value (∼7%) at smaller α values ( 5 km region. We hypothesized that these relations of δa to α and RH are due to the mixing state of mineral dust, sea-salt, and sulfate-containing particles that are major aerosol constituents in the free troposphere during the Asian dust period and to the dependence of their shape and size on RH.

Atmospheric particulate matters (PM) are tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter associated with the Earth’s atmosphere. They are suspended in the atmosphere as atmospheric aerosol. Recently, density of fine particles PM2.5, diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, from China is serious environmental issue in East part of Asia. In this study, the authors have developed a PM2.5 density distribution visualization system using ground-level sensor network dataset and Mie lidar dataset. The former dataset is used for visualization of horizontal PM2.5 density distribution and movement analysis, the latter dataset is used for visualization of vertical PM2.5 density distribution and movement analysis.

On 4 June 2011, the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex (40.6° S, 72.1° W) in Chile erupted violently and injected volcanic aerosols into the atmosphere. For the safety of civil aviation, continuous lidar observations were made at Lauder, New Zealand (45.0° S, 169.7° E), from 11 June through 6 July 2011. The purpose of our study is to quantify the influence of the volcanic ejections from large eruptions, and we use the data from the ground-based lidar observation. We analyzed lidar data at a wavelength of 532 nm and derived the backscattering ratio and depolarization ratio profiles. During June and July, within the altitude range of 10–15 km, the volcanic aerosols had high depolarization ratios (20–35%), an indication of non-spherical volcanic ash particles. The time series of the backscattering ratio during continuous observations had three peaks occurring at about 12-day intervals: 26.7 at 11.2 km on 11 June, 18.1 at 12.0 km on 23 June, and 5.3 at 11.1 km on 6 July. The optical depth of the volcanic aerosols was 0.45 on 11 June, when the continuous lidar observation started, 0.31 on 23 June, and 0.12 on 6 July. The depolarization ratio values remained high up to a month after the eruption, and the small wavelength exponent calculated from the backscattering coefficients at 532 nm and 1064 nm suggests that a major constituent of the volcanic aerosols was large, non-spherical particles. The presence of volcanic ash in the stratosphere might affect the error in Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) XCO2 retrieval using the 1.6 μm band. We briefly discuss the influence of the increased aerosols on GOSAT products.

During the winter seasons from 1993-94 to 1998-99 at Eureka (80.0°N, 86.0°W) in the Canadian high arctic, we have observed tropospheric aerosol layers by using a Mie-scattering-polarization lidar system and we have investigated lidar parameters (Mie backscattering coefficients, aerosol depolarization ratios, and Angstrom exponents) of the layers. We calculated isentropic back trajectories in order to investigate the source regions of these layers. We also estimated the size of the particles in the layers by calculating modeled lidar parameters and comparing them with the observed lidar parameters. Daily sampling of aerosol particles was carried out in the late winter of 1998-99. Isentropic back trajectories of the aerosol layer observed over Eureka at different altitudes suggested that the source regions of the aerosol were Eurasia, the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Arctic Ocean, and regions near the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The lidar parameters calculated by using the Mie theory and the modeled particle size distribution suggested that, although the Mie backscattering coefficient was determined largely by the number concentration of the accumulation mode particles of diameter 0.2 μm to 0.3 μm, the aerosol depolarization ratio and Angstrom exponent of the aerosol layers were influenced strongly by the number concentration and the geometric mean diameter of the coarse particles. The trajectories, characteristics, and chemical compositions of aerosols suggest that the arctic layers observed by lidar were composed of sulfate aerosol or sea salt.