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Advances in Raman Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor, Cirrus Clouds and Carbon DioxideNarrow-band interference filters with improved transmission in the ultraviolet have been developed under NASA-funded research and used in the Raman Airborne Spectroscopic Lidar (RASL) in ground- based, upward-looking tests. RASL is an airborne Raman Lidar system designed to measure water vapor mixing ratio, and aerosol backscatter/extinction/depolarization. It also possesses the capability to make experimental measurements of cloud liquid water and carbon dioxide. It is being prepared for first flight tests during the summer of 2006. With the newly developed filters installed in RASL, measurements were made of atmospheric water vapor, cirrus cloud optical properties and carbon dioxide that improve upon any previously demonstrated using Raman lidar. Daytime boundary layer profiling of water vapor mixing ratio is performed with less than 5% random error using temporal and spatial resolution of 2-minutes and 60 - 210, respectively. Daytime cirrus cloud optical depth and extinction- to-backscatter ratio measurements are made using 1-minute average. Sufficient signal strength is demonstrated to permit the simultaneous profiling of carbon dioxide and water vapor mixing ratio into the free troposphere during the nighttime. Downward-looking from an airborne RASL should possess the same measurement statistics with approximately a factor of 5 - 10 decrease in averaging time. A description of the technology improvements are provided followed by examples of the improved Raman lidar measurements.
Document ID
20080045458
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Whiteman, David N.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Potter, John R.
(Barr Associates, Inc. Westford, MA, United States)
Tola, Rebecca
(Barr Associates, Inc. Westford, MA, United States)
Rush, Kurt
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Veselovskii, Igor
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Cadirola, Martin
(Ecotronics, LLC Clarksburg, MD, United States)
Comer, Joseph
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Lanham, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
May 13, 2006
Subject Category
Communications And Radar
Meeting Information
Meeting: Applications of Atmosphere Profiles in Research and Operations Conference
Location: Toulouse
Country: France
Start Date: May 13, 2006
End Date: May 19, 2006
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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