Applications of airborne remote sensing in atmospheric sciences research

Abstract

The potential for airborne remote sensing for atmospheric sciences research and in particular for research over the oceans is explored. Passive and active techniques from the microwave to visible bands are discussed. It is concluded that technology has progressed sufficiently in several areas that the time is right to develop and operate new remote sensing instruments for use by the community of atmospheric scientists as general purpose tools. There exists promising candidates of both active and passive types in the electromagnetic spectrum from microwave to visible wavelengths. Short‐range, rapid response measurements of temperature, water vapor, winds, and turbulence are all possible using infrared radiometry and Doppler lidar velocimetry. Pulsed Doppler radar for measurements of the three‐dimensional structures of winds and hydrometeors in precipitating systems has been clearly established. Pulsed Doppler lidar is less well developed in comparison to Doppler radar but promises to be an important complement to radar observations by providing wind measurements in the nonprecipitating and cloud free atmosphere. It is possible now to equip a single aircraft or several aircraft with a variety of remote sensing instruments that together form a powerful, highly mobile atmospheric observing system for measurement of fundamental meteorological variables in three dimensions on a variety of spatial scales. This capability is of major importance to the study of mesoscale systems, particularly to those over the ocean, where the deployment of surface based sensors is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, and costly.