Lidar Atmospheric Observatory in the Canadian Arctic

During the last decade there have been growing concerns about a broad variety of atmospheric properties. Among these, a depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer has attracted considerable attention from the general public, politicians and scientists due to its vital impact for the entire global biosphere. One of the major warning signs was the discovery of the 'ozone hole' in the Antarctic region where the concentration of the ozone in the stratosphere was significantly reduced. At present the stratospheric ozone layer in this region is being continuously monitored by groups of scientists from around the world and numerous observations of the ozone layer on the global scale have clearly demonstrated the process of ozone depletion. Recent observations by NASA have shown significant depletion in the Arctic region. This paper provides an initial description of two lidars that are planned to be installed in a new observatory for atmospheric studies in the Canadian Arctic. This observatory is being constructed under the supervision of the Atmospheric Environment Services (AES) of Canada as a part of Green Plan - an initiative of the Federal Government of Canada. The station is located at Eureka on Ellesmere Island at a latitude of 80 degrees N and a longitude of 86 degrees W.