Observations of turbulence intensity distribution in the complex terrain around the Hong Kong International Airport using Doppler Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems

The potential application of spectrum width of Doppler Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems in the monitoring of turbulence intensity around an airport is demonstrated by case studies. A variety of weather conditions are considered, namely, sea breeze front, low-level shearline, strong northeast monsoon and easterly winds in stable atmosphere. The internationally adopted metric of turbulence intensity in civil aviation, namely, cube root of eddy dissipation rate (EDR1/3) is calculated by structure function approach based on the LIDAR's radial velocity data. In the cases studied, the EDR1/3 pattern is generally consistent with the spatial distribution of spectrum width. The two datasets are found to be well correlated in scatter plots. Moreover, flight data are used as an independent checking of the quality of the spectrum width data and they generally indicate that the spectrum width data are reasonable in establishing the turbulence intensity to be encountered by the aircraft. It is shown through case studies in this study that the spectrum width data of Doppler LIDAR have potential application value for the detection and alerting of turbulence in civil aviation.