Expression of Commitment
to COST Action ES-0604
Title: “Water Vapour in the Climate System (WaVaCS)”
1./ Individual’s Name:
Fernando Congeduti
Gianluigi Liberti
2./ Organization Name & Address:
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate – CNR
Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
3./ Contribution:
Water vapor measurements by ground based remote sensing (Raman lidar) at mid latitude
a./ Role in Action:
Proposer of the Action
b./ Parts of the scientific programme where contributions will be made:
D.1 Assess and improve the quality of atmospheric water vapor measurements

Evaluation of the accuracy of existing and emerging measurement techniques

Cross-validation of observations from diverse instruments and derivation of
systematic biases
D.2 Improve understanding of processes determining the water vapor distribution in the
atmosphere.

Analysis of relative contribution of different temporal variability scales in the vertical
distribution of water vapor.

Investigations on the relationship between observed characteristics of cirrus clouds
and water vapor vertical distribution temporal variability.
4./ Deliverables:
Water vapor vertical profile measurements in Rome from very low layers of the PBL up to
the tropopause, roughly on a weekly base.
Results of the analysis of time series of measurements.
5./ Timetable:
The measurements are ongoing. Studies on the measurements accuracy are in progress; data
analysis will be performed after these, in a very close future. Subsequently data analysis will
be available in few daises after the measurement.
6./ Manpower approximately dedicated to the Action:
One senior scientist full time and one scientist half-time, plus a technician for nightime
measurements and a PhD student full time for a 3-years period.
7./ Assurance:
The work is done in the frame of the “Aeroclouds” program of the Italian Department of
University and Scientific Research.
8./ Foreseen collaboration:
9./ Previous experience:
- Fernando Congeduti has an over thirty-year experience in the lidar remote sensing.
He designed and supervised the implementation and the set up of a transportable twowavelength, multiple-mirror Rayleigh-Mie-Raman (RMR) lidar for soundings of troposphere,
stratosphere and mesosphere. At present, he coordinates studies on the water vapor in lower
and upper troposphere using the RMR lidar, also in the frame of the Network for the
Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC, formerly NDSC).
-Gianluigi Liberti has a more than decennial experience in radiative processes in the
atmosphere, water cycle (water vapour, clouds and precipitations), radiative budget (Earth
surface, Top of Atmosphere, Heating/cooling rates profiles), analyses of data from satellites,
meteorological radar, and different passive and active remote sensing instruments.
10./ Publications: (list relevant publications since 2002)
-Congeduti F., C.M. Medaglia, P. D'Aulerio, F. Fierli, S. Casadio, P. Baldetti, F. Belardinelli,
A powerful trasportable Rayleigh-Mie-Raman Lidar System, in Lidar Remote Sensing in
Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Proceeding of XXI International Laser Radar Conference,
L. Bissonette ed., Quebec-City, Canada, July,8-12, pp. 23-26, 2002
-Goswami,P. and G.L.Liberti., 2004. A prognostic model of cloud cover based on Satellite
data. Geophys. Res. Lett. Vol.31, L01101.
-D’Aulerio P., F. Fierli, F.Congeduti, G. Redaelli, Analysis of the water vapor Lidar
measurements during the MAP campaign: evidence of sub-structures of stratospheric
intrusions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 1301–1310, 2005.
- Liberti G.L., and F.Cheruy, 2007. Rapid Variability Characteristics of Cloud Cover as
simulated by a Climate Model and estimated from Satellite Observations: insight into the
cloud parameterisation evaluation at regional scale. Submitted to Meteorological
Applications.