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Low-level atmospheric flows studied by pulsed Doppler lidarA pulsed Doppler radar gains a tremendous advantage in studying atmospheric flows when it has the ability to scan. The Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) has been operating a scanning, 10.59 micron CO2 system for over 10 years. Recently, the WPL lidar has been a featured instrument in several investigations of mesoscale wind fields in the lowest 3-4 km of the atmosphere. These include four experiments: a study of the initiation and growth of the sea breeze off the coast of California, a study of the snake column of a prescribed forest fire, a study of the nighttime flow over the complex terrain near Rocky Flats, Colorado as it affects the dispersion of atmospheric contaminants, and a study of the wind flow in the Grand Canyon. We have analyzed much data from these experiments, and we have found that the lidar provides new insight into the structure of these flows. Many of these studies took place in rugged or mountainous terrain, thus using one of the major benefits of the lidar: the narrow, 90 microrad beam of the lidar makes it an ideal instrument for studying flow close to topography.
Document ID
19920021771
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Banta, Robert M.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Olivier, Lisa D.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Hardesty, R. Michael
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Langley Research Center, 16th International Laser Radar Conference, Part 2
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
92N31015
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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