GV-HSRL Request Guidance

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HSRL Overview

The NCAR High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) is an eye-safe calibrated lidar system that can measure backscatter cross-section, extinction, and depolarization properties of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. The system can be deployed on the NSF/NCAR HIAPER GV aircraft. It is installed in the front of the GV cabin and occupies slots for four instrument racks. The lidar points either up or down (in the aircraft coordinate frame) and can be changed during flight.

Number of available systems: 1

Configuration: NSF/NCAR HIAPER GV aircraft

Not available for ground based operations. See MPD for ground based HSRL options.

Observational limits:

  • Resolution:  7.5 m x 0.5 second [range x time]
  • Maximum Range: 10 km or optical depth exceeding 1.0
  • Minimum Range: 350 m
  • Wavelength: 532 nm
  • Data Products:
    • Cloud and aerosol backscatter coefficient (10^-7 to 10^-3 m^-1 sr^-1),
    • Cloud and aerosol depolarization,
    • Cloud extinction (15 m x 1 second resolution, 10-4 to 10^-1 m^-1)
  • Look angle: Either Up or Down. Changed manually during flight operations.
  • Cloud and aerosol data products: Backscatter coefficient, depolarization

     
  • Cloud only data products:  Extinction coefficient, optical depth
  • Data capture resolution: 7.5 m (range) x 0.5 sec (time)
  • Wavelength: 532 nm (Green)

NCAR High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) Contact

Science: Matt Hayman / mhayman@ucar.edu / (303) 497-1087

Data: eol-datahelp@ucar.edu

HSRL Specifications
Wavelength 532 nm
Pulse Repetition Rate 4000 Hz
Average Power 300 mW
Range Resolution - minimum 7.5 m
Telescope Diameter 40 cm
Field of View (FOV) 0.025°
Temporal Resolution - minimum 0.5 sec
Receiver Channels - 4 Molecular, Combined Hi, Combined Low, Cross-polarization
Iodine Blocking Filter Bandwidth 1.8 GHz
Etalon Filter Bandwidth 8.0 GHz

 

Typical data variables
Variable Unit Description
time s Seconds since start of file
range m  
Aerosol_Backscatter_Coefficient m-1 sr-1 Calibrated measurement of aerosol/cloud backscatter coefficient.
Particle_Linear_Depolarization_Ratio   Theoretically determined linear depolarization of particles (molecular removed). Depolarization is measured using circular polarizations and converted to the linear depolarization ratio assuming the volume consists of randomly oriented particles.
Particle_Linear_Depolarization_Ratio m-1 Aerosol extinction coefficient
Optical_Depth   Total optical depth from aircraft altitude
Temperature K Ideal atmosphere temperature
Pressure Pa Ideal atmosphere pressure