An Overview of CLidar Studies at Mauna Loa

In 2006, a novel aerosol detection program was instituted at Mauna Loa Observatory, an important atmospheric baseline station located on the big island of Hawaii. The program employs a bistatic CCD camera Lidar or CLidar which images a 20W 532nm Nd: YAG laser from a distance of 139m. The bistatic configuration allows excellent resolution close to ground level which is a key attribute that avoids the field-of-view effects of traditional monostatic Lidar instruments. Several years of nearly weekly observations have enabled multiple investigations of aerosol extent and character over the island including both long-term baseline measurements and seasonal detection of Asian dust. Owing to Mauna Loa's geography -- its mid-Pacific setting, high altitude, and relative isolation -- and due to its importance as a calibration station for atmospheric instrumentation, multi-year aerosol extinction trends -- especially in the altitudes suited to CLidar measurement -- are valuable. In this overview, these trends are detailed, and notable extinction patterns are presented. Persistent altitude-dependent features are identified and further investigated using NOAA's Hysplit back-trajectory model.