LIDAR IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIMENT CORRELATIVE MEASUREMENTS BY LIDAR IN POTENZA, SOUTHERN ITALY

An intensive lidar measurement campaign was carried out in Potenza (40 degrees 36'N-15 degrees 44'E, 820 m above sea level (asl)) in conjunc tion with the Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) mission and primarily aimed at the validation of LITE stratospheric aerosol measur ements. Potenza lidar measurements in coincidence with all five nightt ime overpasses near southern Italy (September 11, 12, 17, and 18, 1994 ) are compared with simultaneous LITE data. Potenza lidar data appear to bt: highly correlated with LITE data both at 355 and 532 nm. Potenz a lidar versus LITE measurements of the aerosol-scattering ratio show a correlation coefficient of 0.72-0.81 at 355 nm and 0.88-0.93 at 532 nm, with an average calibration coefficient of 0.92 +/- 0.19 at 355 nm and 1.02 +/- 0.07 at 532 nm. Comparisons are also made in terms of th e average Angstrom coefficient, whose values are consistent with submi crometer aerosol particles. Finally, Potenza lidar measurements of the aerosol layer base and top heights, the peak aerosol-scattering ratio and peak height, as well as of the aerosol scattering ratio at the cl oud base appear to be consistent with measurements performed by other ground lidar stations in Europe during the LITE campaign as well as wi th the LITE data.