Micropulse Lidar (MPL) - IOP
Instrument Categories: Cloud Properties
General Overview
The Micropulse Lidar (MPL) is a ground-based optical remote sensing system designed primarily to determine the altitude of clouds overhead. The physical principle is the same as for radar. Pulses of energy are transmitted into the atmosphere; the energy scattered back to the transceiver is collected and measured as a time-resolved signal.
From the time delay between each outgoing transmitted pulse and the backscattered signal, the distance to the scatterer is infered. Besides real-time detection of clouds, post-processing of the lidar return can also characterize the extent and properties of aerosol or other particle-laden regions.
IOPs Where the Instrument was Used
Cloudiness Inter-Comparison IOP
Southern Great Plains, Mid-February to Mid-April, 2003
Spring Cloud IOP
Southern Great Plains, March 1 - 26, 2000
Primary Measurements Taken
The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers for the list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes.
Mentor(s)
Richard Coulter
(630) 252-5833
rlcoulter@anl.gov
