Atmospheric Turbulence at the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory

The results of measurements of the turbulent atmosphere characteristics at the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISTP SB RAS), in August 2023 are presented. Measurements were made at the ground atmospheric layer at the site of the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope (LSVT) and at the altitude of the telescope’s receiving mirror (siderostat). In order to identify long-term variations in the astroclimate characteristics of BAO, we compared the results with our measurements in previous years. The existence of predominant wind directions over the territory of BAO caused by the mountainous relief and the influence of the lake Baikal is shown. The comparison between simultaneous measurements with two ultrasonic sensors mounted at different altitudes, at ground-level layer and at the altitude of LSVT receiving mirror, confirms the presence of vortex coherent structure near the LSVT receiving mirror, which improves the quality of the obtained optical images.