Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Particles Using LIDAR, Calipso Satellite, & AERONET

Improvement of regional climatological model and weather prediction capabilities depend heavily on the atmospheric particles (or aerosols) which are distributed in the column of the atmosphere, and ranging in size from 1 to 10 microns. Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system can depict the profile of aerosols distribution in the atmosphere on a regular basis, the system can be located on the land (UPRM Lidar) or on a satellite (Calipso), observing the aerosol column from both vertical directions as satellite passes over the Lidar location. The Calipso Lidar satellite transmits laser and collects backscattered light at two standard wavelengths (one wavelength at two polarizations). The AERONET network is a complementary method or determining the Optical Depth of the aerosol. These three systems operate based on multiple wavelength laser light transmission and reception. Each system is explored in this paper, and full emphasis is given to the Lidar system which presently is near operation at the UPRM, explaining the functionality of the Laser, optical telescope, optics, sensors, signal processing systems, and the algorithm responsible for providing the power profile reflected from the aerosols at standard wavelengths of 355, 532, and 1064nms. The results of the remotely sensed atmospheric particles are obtained in terms of Aerosol Size Distribution, Angstrom coefficient, and Single Scattering Albedo. The latter two parameters enhance understanding of the effects of aerosols on the climate. The plots of aerosol distribution in the column of atmosphere in terms of these important aerosol parameters have been produced using the Lidar data over New York urban area.