Review of Lidar-Based Applications for Aviation Weather

Measurements collected by Leosphere Doppler lidars were reviewed to study meteorological processes such as wind shear, wind profiles, gust fronts, and wake vortices over airports. First, the basic concepts of lidar are discussed, then its use for wind environments with respect to high-impact weather events is presented. Issues related to previous definitions of wind-related algorithms and criteria are summarized to validate the use of Doppler lidar for clear-air environmental conditions. Based on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) criteria that use a 500-m height threshold in the vertical for wind warning conditions, this work suggests that use of Doppler lidars can significantly improve the safety of flight environments along landing and takeoff corridors at airports by providing warnings to pilots and ground crew and optimizing air-traffic management. The wind measurements from the lidars are found to be accurate to 0.1 m s−1, and use of Doppler lidars can increase the probability of detection of wind-related severe weather conditions by up to 50% beyond the 500 m of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL).