Doppler lidar measurements of wind and turbulence in the marine boundary layer

Characterization of wind structure in the marine boundary layer is important for understanding the processes affecting ocean-atmosphere exchange of heat, moisture and momentum, marine stratus formation and dissipation, and emission and scattering of electromagnetic radiation from the ocean surface. Although wind information in the lower boundary layer can be obtained from balloons, anemometers mounted on ship masts, and/or radar wind profilers, Doppler lidars offer the capability of interrogating a large area segment of the marine layer from a single location with high vertical and moderate horizontal spatial resolution. Application of Doppler lidar to marine studies was first demonstrated by Banta et al. (1993), who used lidar wind measurements to illustrate the temporal and spatial evolution of the sea breeze near Monterey, CA. The present authors extend the applications to include measurements of vertical motion for better understanding of stratocumulus cloud breakup, as well as wind field characterization and the effect of winds on the radar scattering signal from the ocean surface. They also describe a new, container-mounted lidar system specifically designed for shipboard wind measurements.<>