ALIGOLA (Cloud and Aerosol Lidar for Global Scale Observations of the Ocean-Land-Atmosphere System) is a multi-purpose space LIDAR mission dedicated to the observation of the Earth’s atmosphere, surface and oceans and their mutual interactions.
Exploiting the three Nd: YAG laser emissions at 354.7, 532 and 1064 nm and the elastic (Rayleigh-Mie) and Raman lidar echoes from atmospheric constituents, CALIGOLA is conceived to carry out three-wavelength particle backscatter and depolarization ratio and two-wavelength particle extinction profile measurements from aerosols and clouds to be used to retrieve their microphysical and dimensional properties. Furthermore, measurement of the elastic backscattered echoes from the sea surface and the underlying layers, and their degree of depolarization, CALIGOLA will be exploited to characterize sea optical properties (ocean color) and the suspended particulate matter, which are needed to study the seasonal and inter-annual phytoplankton dynamics and to improve the understanding of the role of phytoplankton in marine biogeochemistry, in the global carbon cycle and in the response of marine ecosystems to climate variability. In 2021 the Italian Space Agency has started scientific and technological activities with the aim to design and develop CALIGOLA, with the goal to launch the mission in the time window 2030-2031.