Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) Data Obtained During the Southern Great Plains (SGP97) Field Experiment

The LASE Southern Great Plains (SGP97) field experiment was conducted in Oklahoma during June-July 1997. SGP97 was a NASA EOS Interdisciplinary Science Investigation to validate soil moisture retrieval algorithms at satellite temporal and spatial scales using remote sensing moisture measurements from aircraft and in situ soil measurements. One of the major objectives of SGP97 was the study of the impact of soil moisture on the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) development. To aid convective boundary layer (CBL) studies, LASE was deployed on the NASA P-3B aircraft along with other instruments. LASE (Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment) airborne lidar produces measurements of aerosols and water vapor vertical profiles from the aircraft altitude (6-8 km) down to the surface. Such profiles show the vertical context in which the SGP97 in situ and radiometric measurements are made, thus supporting the vertical extension of the in situ measurements and detecting any unsampled layers or inhomogeneities, which would impact the surface and airborne measurements.