Horizontal Vector Wind Field Measurement with Eye-Safe Elastic Lidar

vectors on 26 April 2007 scan

NSF Award 1228464

 21 Sept. 2012 - 31 August 2015.

NSF Award 0924407

 1 Sept. 2009 - 31 August 2012.

The main focus of our research is the development and testing of the ability to retrieve 2-component vector wind fields from a high-performance, eye-safe, scanning elastic backscatter lidar. Funding from our first award (NSF AGS 0924407) enabled us to compare vector components retrieved from the cross-correlation technique to vector components measured by tower-mounted sonic anemometers between 10 and 30 m AGL. Funding from our second award (NSF AGS 1228464) will enable us to retrieve vectors with a new optical flow motion estimation algorithm and compare results with velocity estimates from cross-correlation and winds measured independently by Doppler lidar between 50 m and 150 m AGL. The second award also supports a significant field experiment at the CSU Chico University Farm from June - November of 2013.

Journal articles on cross-correlation winds by lidar

Mayor, S. D., J. P. Lowe, and C. F. Mauzey, 2012: Two-component horizontal aerosol motion vectors in the atmospheric surface layer from a cross-correlation algorithm applied to elastic backscatter lidar data, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 29, 1585-1602.

Mayor, S. D. and E. W. Eloranta, 2001: Two-dimensional vector wind fields from volume imaging lidar data. J. Appl. Meteor., 40, 1331–1346.

Piironen, A. and E. W. Eloranta, 1995: An accuracy analysis of the wind profiles calculated from Volume Imaging Lidar data. J. Geophys. Res., 100, D12, 25559-25567.

Schols, J. L. and E. W. Eloranta, 1992: The calculation of area-averaged vertical profiles of the horizontal wind velocity from volume-imaging lidar data. J. Geophys. Res., 97, 18 395–18 407.

Kolev, I., O. Parvanov, and B. Kaprielov, 1988: Lidar determination of winds by aerosol inhomogeneities: motion velocity in the planetary boundary layer, Appl. Opt., 27, 2524-2531.

Hooper, W. P. and E. W. Eloranta, 1986: Lidar measurements of wind in the planetary boundary layer: the method, accuracy and results from joint measurements with radiosonde and kytoon. J. Clim. Appl. Meteor., 25, 990–1001.

Sasano, Y., H. Hirohara, T. Yamasaki, H. Shimizu, N. Takeuchi, and T. Kawamura, 1982: Horizontal wind vector determination from the displacement of aerosol distribution patterns observed by a scanning lidar. J. Appl. Meteor., 21, 1516–1523.

Kunkel, K. E., E. W. Eloranta, and J. A. Weinman, 1980: Remote determination of winds, turbulence spectra and energy dissipation rates in the boundary layer from lidar measurements. J. Atmos. Sci., 37, 978-985.

Sroga, J. T., E. W. Eloranta, and T. Barber, 1980: Lidar measurements of wind velocity profiles in the boundary layer. J. Appl. Meteor., 19, 598–605.

Eloranta, E. W., J. M. King, and J. A. Weinman, 1975: The determination of wind speeds in the boundary layer by monostatic lidar. J. Appl. Meteor., 14, 1485–1489.