A LIDAR instrument for measurements of the ozone concentration and of aerosols in the middle atmosphere is briefly described. Data sets for ozone and aerosols, obtained at Spitsbergen during winter and early spring in 1989 and 1990, are presented. The Arctic ozone layer was found to be strongly influenced by atmospheric dynamics; a dramatic ozone depletion was not observed. Polar stratospheric clouds were detected in each winter, their dependence on the ambient atmospheric temperature is described. © 1991 Springer-Verlag.