Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric Gases and Aerosols

Abstract

The use of lasers in the remote sensing of various atmospheric parameters from aircraft platforms is becoming accepted by the atmospheric science community as an important technique for the study of large-scale chemical and meteorological phenomena. The parameters that have been measured most extensively with airborne lidar include profiles of O3, H2O, aerosols, and winds. The Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technique is used in the profiling of O3 and H2O; and aerosol distributions, which contain important meteorological information on the planetary boundary layer and the free troposphere, can be obtained by a single wavelength lidar technique. When measured at multiple wavelengths, additional information on aerosol types can be obtained. Wind components along the lidar line-of-sight can be obtained by using the doppler lidar technique, and when this is combined with a scanning capability, the lidar can produce wind field maps.