Observation of vertical wind profiling with lidar based on correction of sensitivity

Abstract

A high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) for simultaneously detecting vertical wind, temperature, and the backscattering ratio in the troposphere is developed. The atmospheric temperature and vertical wind are determined by the Rayleigh scattering spectrum width and Mie scattering spectrum Doppler shift, respectively. The influence of temperature and the backscattering ratio on vertical wind measurement accuracy is also analyzed. The temperature and backscattering ratio affect the wind measurement, which produces the vertical wind offset. A correction considering the effects of the method is conducted considering real-time and on-site temperature profiles and the backscattering ratio to correct wind measurement sensitivity. Measurements of HSRL taken under different weather conditions (fine and hazy days) are demonstrated. Good agreement between the HSRL and the radiosonde measurements was obtained considering lapse rates and temperature inversions. The maximum temperature offsets were 1.3 and 4 K at a height of 1.5 km on fine and hazy days, respectively. Then, real-time and on-site temperature profiles and backscattering ratios were applied to correct the real-time and on-site wind. The corrected wind profiles showed satisfactory agreement with the wind profiles acquired from the calibrated wind lidar. The maximum detection offsets of the retrieved wind speed were reduced from 1 m/s to 0.55 m/s and from 1 m/s to 0.21 m/s, respectively, which were decreases of 0.45 and 0.79 m/s in fine and hazy days after correction of sensitivity. It is evident that the corrected wind method can reduce the influence of temperature and the backscattering ratio on the wind measurement and the offset of vertical wind. The reliability of the method is also proven.