Toronto Water Vapor Lidar Inter-Comparison Campaign

Remote Sensing

James Whiteway¹  Noah Stanton¹  Zen Mariani²  Raisa Lehtinen³ 

[1] Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada;Meteorological Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON M3H-5T4, Canada;Vaisala Oyj, 01670 Vantaa, Finland;

关键词: DIAL;    Raman;    lidar;    water vapor;    remote sensing;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rs12193165

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study presents comparisons between vertical water vapor profile measurements from a Raman lidar and a new pre-production broadband differential absorption lidar (DIAL). Vaisala’s novel DIAL system operates autonomously outdoors and measures the vertical profile of water vapor within the boundary layer 24 h a day during all weather conditions. Eight nights of measurements in June and July 2018 were used for the Toronto water vapor lidar inter-comparison field campaign. Both lidars provided reliable atmospheric backscatter and water vapor profile measurements. Comparisons were performed during night-time observations only, when the York Raman lidar could measure the water vapor profile. The purpose was to validate the water vapor profile measurements retrieved by the new DIAL system. The results indicate good agreement between the two lidars, with a mean difference (DIAL–Raman) of 0.17 ± 0.09 g/kg. There were two main causes for differences in their measurements: horizontal displacement between the two lidar sites (3.2 km) and vertical gradients in the water vapor profile. A case study analyzed during the campaign demonstrates the ability for both lidars to measure sudden changes and large gradients in the water vapor’s vertical structure due to a passing frontal system. These results provide an initial validation of the DIAL’s measurements and its ability to be implemented as part of an operational program.

【 授权许可】

Unknown