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Relationship between lidar-based observations of aerosol content and monsoon precipitation over a tropical station, Pune, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2003

P C S Devara
Affiliation:
Physical Meteorology and Aerology Division, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune 411 008, India
P E Raj
Affiliation:
Physical Meteorology and Aerology Division, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune 411 008, India
G Pandithurai
Affiliation:
Physical Meteorology and Aerology Division, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune 411 008, India
K K Dani
Affiliation:
Physical Meteorology and Aerology Division, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune 411 008, India
R S Maheskumar
Affiliation:
Physical Meteorology and Aerology Division, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune 411 008, India
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Abstract

This paper reports the results of the aerosol lidar experiments that have been performed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (18.54°N, 73.85°E, 559 m amsl), a tropical station in India. The lidar-observed cloud macro-physical parameters (cloud-base and cloud-ceiling heights, vertical thickness, etc.) and polarisation characteristics and their association with surface-generated aerosols at the experimental site are presented and discussed. The correspondence among the lidar-derived aerosol distributions, meteorological parameters and south-west (SW) monsoon (June-September) activity over Pune during 12 successive SW monsoon seasons (1987-98) including two pairs of contrasting seasons of 1987-8 and 1993-4 is also examined. The results indicate an association between variations in aerosol loading in the boundary layer during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) and precipitation intensity during the ensuing monsoon season. Moreover, the decrease in aerosol content from pre-monsoon to monsoon season is found to follow the SW monsoon season total precipitation. Thus the results suggest that (i) the IITM lidar can also be a useful remote sensor for aerosol characterisation studies from polarisation measurements, and some important physical properties of clouds in the lower atmosphere over the station, and (ii) there exists a correspondence between boundary-layer aerosol content and SW monsoon precipitation over Pune, which is explained in terms of the type of aerosols and the environmental and meteorological processes, particularly during pre-monsoon and monsoon months prevailing over the experimental station.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Royal Meteorological Society

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