Revealing the secrets of Arctic sky

When it is dark over Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, a bright green Laser beam can be seen quite often, shooting from the AWIPEV Observatory towards the sky. This beam belongs to "KARLi" the Koldewey Aerosol Raman Lidar, runned by the Alfred Wegener Institute for more than 25 years and ,thus, contributes to long-term measurement records. With this system scientists investigate the atmosphere and look for thin clouds and aerosols. Aerosols , clouds and their interaction are major unknowns in the radiative balance of the Arctic climate system. This photo was kindly provided by Gregory Tran, who is going to be the AWIPEV Station Leader for the Overwintering period 2019-2020.