Atmospheric Measurements Using A Scanning, Solar-Blind, Raman Lidar

The study of the water cycle by Lidar has many applications. Because micro-scale structures can be identified by their water content, the technique offers new opportunities to visualize and study the phenomena. There are applications to many practical problems in agricultural and water management as well as at waste storage sites. Conventional point sensors are limited and are inappropriate for use in complex terrain or varied vegetation and cannot be extrapolated over even modest ranges. To this end, techniques must be developed to measure the variables associated with evapotranspirative processes over large areas and varied surface conditions. A scanning water-Raman Lidar is an ideal tool for this task in that it can measure the water vapor concentration rapidly with high spatial resolution without influencing the measurements by the presence of the sensor. The solar-blind water-Raman Lidar used in this experiment is based upon the technique pioneered by Cooney1. Operational parameters of the Lidar are described in Table 1.