IN11F-1808
TOLNet Data Format for Lidar Ozone Profile & Surface Observations
Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Gao Chen1, Ali A Aknan1,2, Mike Newchurch3 and Thierry Leblanc4, (1)NASA Langley Research Ctr, Hampton, VA, United States, (2)Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Hampton, VA, United States, (3)University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, United States, (4)California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
Abstract:
The Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) is an interagency initiative started by NASA, NOAA, and EPA in 2011. TOLNet currently has six Lidars and one ozonesonde station. TOLNet provides high-resolution spatio-temporal measurements of tropospheric (surface to tropopause) ozone and aerosol vertical profiles to address fundamental air-quality science questions. The TOLNet data format was developed by TOLNet members as a community standard for reporting ozone profile observations. The development of this new format was primarily based on the existing NDAAC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) format and ICARTT (International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation) format. The main goal is to present the Lidar observations in self-describing and easy-to-use data files. The TOLNet format is an ASCII format containing a general file header, individual profile headers, and the profile data. The last two components repeat for all profiles recorded in the file. The TOLNet format is both human and machine readable as it adopts standard metadata entries and fixed variable names. In addition, software has been developed to check for format compliance. To be presented is a detailed description of the TOLNet format protocol and scanning software.
