Transforming Severe Weather Forecasting

Licensing agreement opens door to widespread use of weather instrument - MPDs.

An innovative weather instrument developed at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) could be a solution for improving severe weather prediction. 

Accurate, localized forecasts are needed to improve predictions of severe weather events like hail storms or flooding. While the technology exists to measure the elements necessary for this type of forecasting, the cost of the instruments limits forecasters' ability to acquire data from enough locations and at the frequency required. In response to this problem, researchers at NSF NCAR have developed the MicroPulse Differential Absorption Lidar (MicroPulse DIAL or MPD). The MPD utilizes low-cost lasers to affordably collect high-quality, continuous data about Earth’s lower atmosphere.