MICRO PULSE LIDAR applications

VOLCANIC ASH MICRO PULSE CLOUDS LIDAR AND ITS APPLICATIONS 4 PLUMES II AEROSOLS DUST PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER THE INSTRUMENT HOW? Micro Pulse LIDAR is a The intensity of detected light and the time the light takes to return are processed in the software to deliver the vertical profile of the atmosphere. MPL sends laser powerful yet COMPACT and affordable LIDAR System designed to make world- class measurements of clouds and aerosol pulses into the atmosphere and detects the light scattered back. structure. Sigma Space manufactures: MPL (25 km range) > MiniMPL (15 km range) MiniMPL Scanner WHERE? Pioneering atmospheric scientists have taken MPL from pole to pole and everywhere in between to gather atmospheric data on the spot. More than 80 units are operating 24/7 around the world in continuous unattended setting. MiniMPL mobile deployment 1CLOUDS STRATOSPHERE AEROSOLS BIG MPADT 1 FROM SURFACE TO MPL determine cloud TINY PARTICLES, height, extent and structure with extreme accuracy. Cloud height and multiple cloud layers can be detected from stratus cloud near Aerosols are microscopic particles that have major effects on Earth's climate, weather and human health. Cirrus ground to thin cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and polar stratospheric clouds. Cirrostratos 10 km Studying their distribution and dynamics is crucial for climate, weather and air quality studies. 8 km Altostratos With two detection channels to measure 6 km different polarizations of the backscattered signal, MPL can determine whether clouds contain MPL gives real-time and continuous information Cumulonimbus about aerosol type, vertical distribution and 4 km liquid, ice or both. depth of layers, and displays these characteristics in two basic kinds of plots – individual vertical 2 km Cumulus profiles and time sequence plots. O km Counts (km2) 3 DUST NASA scientists have observed that 64 million tons of mineral dust from deserts, pollution and other airborne particles arrive in the air to North America each year, riding on air currents for days across nations and oceans before settling back to Earth. Customers in Central Asia already use this feature to identify and prepare for oncoming dust storms. SOURCES AND LONG-RANGE TRANSPORT POLLUTION MPL's capability of characterizing water clouds versus dust and other particles is extremely helpful to determine origin, transport and potential impacts on climate, weather, and human and ecosystem health. A A A 4 PLUMES 5 PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER 4 PRECISE AND RELIABLE OPACITY ACCURACY IN EMISSIONS ESTIMATES LIDAR is an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) approved instrument to quantify plume opacity – the degree to which light transmission is reduced by a plume. Since aerosols accumulate in the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) – the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface - MPL is ideal for monitoring the daily rise and fall of the PBL. The PBL is the mixing bowl for greenhouse gases (GHGS) and other pollution, and the size of this bowl is essential to calculate emission inventories MPL is an integral part of the international Megacity Carbon Project (http://megacities.jpl.nasa.gov/portal/) designed to monitor the GHG emissions of the largest human contributors to climate change: megacities. The Los Angeles portion of the project has used the light and com- pact MiniMPL for mobile measurements that profile the PBL throughout the Los Angeles urban dome of emissions. MPL can provide a quantitative determination of the opacity of an emission plume remotely, during daytime or nighttime hours. for climate change and air quality monitor- ing and policy. C02 CONCENTRATIONS 10 ppm Using precise measurements of AND FLUXES 20 ppm 40 ppm plume opacity, MPL can improve our understanding of pollution level and air quality for environ- mental monitoring and enforcement. 6 VOLCANIC ASH RAPID RESPONSE TO ERUPTION Volcanic eruptions inject gas and ash particles into the atmosphere at high altitudes MPL depolarization data helps determine particle type, distinguishing volcanic ash from water clouds. Often, with potential serious impact to climate anđ air traffic due to long-range transport'by upper atmosphere wind fields. MPL has been operated in South America and Japan to monitor volcanic ash emis- sions and has provided timely and accu- rate advisories for air traffic and ash transport studies. SigmaSpace Range (km)