Summary

The Lidar Cirrus Studies project took in situ measurements of atmospheric state parameters, particle size distribution, particle shape and concentration, and the various components of the radiation budget within cirrus clouds with the Sabreliner. Additionally, a ground-based polarization diversity lidar system was used to collect extensive backscatter and depolarization measurements for the cirrus clouds concurrently with the Sabreliner. The Sabreliner provided air-truth measurements of cloud contents to test the validity of the remote sensing findings recovered from the combined theoretical and measurement approach used in this study.