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Report on Atmospheric Effects (1995-2001) — December 1996


Atmospheric Effects (1995-2001)

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 21, no. 12 (December 1996)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.

Atmospheric Effects (1995-2001) Lidar data from Germany may suggest an aerosol layer centered at about 19 km

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1996. Report on Atmospheric Effects (1995-2001) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 21:12. Smithsonian Institution.



Atmospheric Effects (1995-2001)

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Lidar data for part of 1996 (mid-May through the month of September) over Germany (table 8) indicated a possible aerosol layer centered between 14.7 and 21.6 km altitude. The possible layer's center often resided at ~19 km. The "ci" in Table 9 stands for cirrus. Cirrus in the tropopause region usually obscures the lower boundary of the aerosol layer.

Table 8. Backscattering ratios from German lidar data for the Nd-YAG wavelength of 0.53 µm, 16 May-30 September 1996. The equivalent backscattering ratios for ruby are in parentheses (ruby wavelength, 0.69 µm). Courtesy of Horst Jäger.

DATE LAYER ALTITUDE (km) (peak) BACKSCATTERING RATIO BACKSCATTERING INTEGRATED
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (47.5°N, 11.0°E)
16 May 1996 11-30 (19.8) 1.11 (1.20) --
22 May 1996 ci-29 (14.7) 1.09 (1.20) --
24 May 1996 12-31 (17.9) 1.11 (1.20) --
31 May 1996 14-38 (20.1) 1.09 (1.20) --
08 Jun 1996 14-27 (19.6) 1.09 (1.20) --
19 Jun 1996 9-27 (18.8) 1.10 (1.20) --
03 Jul 1996 13-28 (19.7) 1.07 (1.20) --
31 Jul 1996 11-30 (19.4) 1.09 (1.20) --
06 Aug 1996 ci-26 (19.5) 1.07 (1.20) --
08 Aug 1996 ci-27 (18.5) 1.06 (1.10) --
18 Aug 1996 12-27 (21.6) 1.06 (1.10) --
23 Aug 1996 11-26 (16.4) 1.06 (1.10) --
26 Sep 1996 12-26 (19.1) 1.06 (1.10) --
30 Sep 1996 12-25 (15.6) 1.07 (1.20) --

Information Contacts: Horst Jäger, Fraunhofer -- Institut für Atmosphärische Umweltforschung, Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19, D-8100 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.