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Abstract
The vertical aerosol transport in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is investigated with lidars. Profiles of the vertical wind velocity are measured with a 2-μm Doppler wind lidar. Aerosol parameters are derived from observations with an aerosol Raman lidar. Both instruments were operated next to each other at the Institute for Tropospheric Research (IfT) in Leipzig, Germany. The eddy correlation technique is applied to calculate turbulent particle mass fluxes on the basis of aerosol backscatter and vertical wind data obtained with a resolution of 75 m and 5 s throughout the PBL. A conversion of particle backscatter to particle mass is performed by applying the IfT inversion scheme to three-wavelength Raman lidar observations. The method, so far, is restricted to stationary and dry atmospheric conditions under which hygroscopic particle growth can be neglected. In a case study, particle mass fluxes of 0.5–2.5 μg m−2 s−1 were found in the upper part of a convective PBL on 12 September 2006.
Abstract
The vertical aerosol transport in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is investigated with lidars. Profiles of the vertical wind velocity are measured with a 2-μm Doppler wind lidar. Aerosol parameters are derived from observations with an aerosol Raman lidar. Both instruments were operated next to each other at the Institute for Tropospheric Research (IfT) in Leipzig, Germany. The eddy correlation technique is applied to calculate turbulent particle mass fluxes on the basis of aerosol backscatter and vertical wind data obtained with a resolution of 75 m and 5 s throughout the PBL. A conversion of particle backscatter to particle mass is performed by applying the IfT inversion scheme to three-wavelength Raman lidar observations. The method, so far, is restricted to stationary and dry atmospheric conditions under which hygroscopic particle growth can be neglected. In a case study, particle mass fluxes of 0.5–2.5 μg m−2 s−1 were found in the upper part of a convective PBL on 12 September 2006.
Abstract
A new in situ measurement system and lidar processing algorithms were developed for improved measurements of boundary layer profiles. The first comparisons of simultaneous Doppler lidar–derived profiles of the key turbulence statistics of the two orthogonal horizontal velocity components (longitudinal and transverse) are presented. The instrument requirements for accurate observations of stably stratified turbulence were determined. A region of stably stratified low turbulence with constant gradients of temperature and velocity was observed above the nocturnal boundary layer using high-rate sensors. The important turbulence parameters were estimated, and turbulence spectra were consistent with new theoretical descriptions of stratified turbulence. The impact of removing the larger-scale velocity features in Doppler lidar estimates of turbulent velocity variance and length scales was investigated. The Doppler lidar–derived estimates of energy dissipation rate ε were found to be insensitive to spatial filtering of the large-scale atmospheric processes. The in situ and lidar-derived profiles were compared for the stable boundary layer in a suburban environment.
Abstract
A new in situ measurement system and lidar processing algorithms were developed for improved measurements of boundary layer profiles. The first comparisons of simultaneous Doppler lidar–derived profiles of the key turbulence statistics of the two orthogonal horizontal velocity components (longitudinal and transverse) are presented. The instrument requirements for accurate observations of stably stratified turbulence were determined. A region of stably stratified low turbulence with constant gradients of temperature and velocity was observed above the nocturnal boundary layer using high-rate sensors. The important turbulence parameters were estimated, and turbulence spectra were consistent with new theoretical descriptions of stratified turbulence. The impact of removing the larger-scale velocity features in Doppler lidar estimates of turbulent velocity variance and length scales was investigated. The Doppler lidar–derived estimates of energy dissipation rate ε were found to be insensitive to spatial filtering of the large-scale atmospheric processes. The in situ and lidar-derived profiles were compared for the stable boundary layer in a suburban environment.
Abstract
Lidar profiling of atmospheric aerosols and clouds in the lower atmosphere has been in progress at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (18°32′N, 73°52′E, 559 m MSL), India, for more than two decades. To enlarge the scope of these studies, an eye-safe new portable dual polarization micropulse lidar (DPMPL) has been developed and installed at this station. The system utilizes a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) neodymium–yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser second harmonic, with either parallel polarization or alternate parallel and perpendicular polarization, as a transmitter and a Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope, with a high-speed detection and data acquisition and processing system, as a receiver. This online system in real-time mode provides backscatter intensity profiles up to about 75 km at every minute in both parallel and perpendicular polarization channels, corresponding to each state of polarization of the transmitted laser radiation. Thus, this versatile lidar system is expected to play a vital role not only in atmospheric aerosol and cloud physics research and environmental monitoring but also in weather and climate modeling studies of the impact of radiative forcing on the earth–atmosphere radiation balance and hydrological cycle. This paper provides a detailed description of Asia’s only lidar facility and presents initial observations of space–time variations of boundary layer structure from experiments carried out during winter 2005/06.
Abstract
Lidar profiling of atmospheric aerosols and clouds in the lower atmosphere has been in progress at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (18°32′N, 73°52′E, 559 m MSL), India, for more than two decades. To enlarge the scope of these studies, an eye-safe new portable dual polarization micropulse lidar (DPMPL) has been developed and installed at this station. The system utilizes a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) neodymium–yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser second harmonic, with either parallel polarization or alternate parallel and perpendicular polarization, as a transmitter and a Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope, with a high-speed detection and data acquisition and processing system, as a receiver. This online system in real-time mode provides backscatter intensity profiles up to about 75 km at every minute in both parallel and perpendicular polarization channels, corresponding to each state of polarization of the transmitted laser radiation. Thus, this versatile lidar system is expected to play a vital role not only in atmospheric aerosol and cloud physics research and environmental monitoring but also in weather and climate modeling studies of the impact of radiative forcing on the earth–atmosphere radiation balance and hydrological cycle. This paper provides a detailed description of Asia’s only lidar facility and presents initial observations of space–time variations of boundary layer structure from experiments carried out during winter 2005/06.
Abstract
The NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) has two coherent Doppler lidar systems that have been deployed on board research vessels to obtain data during several experiments. The instruments measure the wind velocity relative to the motion of the lidar; therefore, correction for the motion of the platform is required. This article gives a thorough analysis of the correction for lidar velocity measurements. The analysis is general enough to be applied to Doppler velocity measurements from all monostatic ship- and aircraftborne lidars and radars, and generalization to bistatic systems is achievable. The correction is demonstrated using miniature master-oscillator power-amplifier (mini-MOPA) Doppler velocity data obtained during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) experiment.
Abstract
The NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) has two coherent Doppler lidar systems that have been deployed on board research vessels to obtain data during several experiments. The instruments measure the wind velocity relative to the motion of the lidar; therefore, correction for the motion of the platform is required. This article gives a thorough analysis of the correction for lidar velocity measurements. The analysis is general enough to be applied to Doppler velocity measurements from all monostatic ship- and aircraftborne lidars and radars, and generalization to bistatic systems is achievable. The correction is demonstrated using miniature master-oscillator power-amplifier (mini-MOPA) Doppler velocity data obtained during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) experiment.
