Mini-Lidar

FAAM NON-CORE Mini-Lidar Leosphere ALS450

The "mini-lidar" is an active remote sensing instrument which emits laser radiation and measures the luminous signal backscattered from the atmosphere. This helps identify the position of different atmospheric layers below the aircraft (clear air, aerosols, clouds).

System Components

Our lidar is a Leosphere ALS450 eye-safe system, installed in a nadir-viewing geometry, and working at 355 nm (near-ultraviolet). It has depolarization capability, allowing to infer the presence of non-spherical particles.

Data

Qualitative data analysis is done in real-time using lidar signal and relative depolarization ratio plots, in order to identify the position of atmospheric layers and help us position the aircraft with respect to them.

Quantitative data analysis can later be performed on "good" lidar profiles, allowing to determine aerosol optical properties (backscattering coefficient, extinction coefficient, and absolute depolarization ratio).

Lidar qualitative plot from flight B526 (looking for volcanic ash);
three aerosol layers identified, of two different type (layer circled
in white depolarizes, is a candidate for ash; layers circled in red do
NOT depolarize, and are candidates for sulfate aerosol of volcanic
origin)

Publications

Capabilities and operation of the FAAM EZlidar (1.03 MB)

Further details

For any information contact Franco Marenco at the Met Office, +44-(0)1392-885393

lin to the manufactures homepage (here)