Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T07:16:39.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3 - The Molecular Atmosphere

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2023

Gary G. Gimmestad
Affiliation:
Georgia Institute of Technology
David W. Roberts
Affiliation:
MicroDynamics LLC
Get access

Summary

An overview of optical scattering in the atmosphere includes the sizes and concentration of scatterers, the mathematical formalism of scattering, and definitions of the lidar scattering and extinction coefficients. The Rayleigh, Mie, and geometric scattering regimes are defined by the scattering parameter, and implications of Rayleigh scattering on lidar measurements are elucidated for both signals and background. Molecules store energy in translational, rotational, and vibrational motions, and atoms store energy in electronic excitations. These energy storage mechanisms cause the lidar observables of Doppler shifts, molecular and Raman spectra, and atomic spectra, which, along with Rayleigh scattering, enable lidar measurements of temperatures and winds; water vapor and trace gas concentrations; and aerosol extinction coefficients at altitudes from the surface up to the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The lidar techniques that exploit all these phenomena operate over a range of wavelengths from the long wave infrared to the ultraviolet and the reasons for the differing wavelengths of the various techniques are explained with a graphic that summarizes the chapter.

Type
Chapter
Information
Lidar Engineering
Introduction to Basic Principles
, pp. 30 - 64
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

McCartney, E., Optics of the Atmosphere. New York: Wiley, 1976.Google Scholar
Minnaert, M., Light and Color in the Outdoors (originally published as Light and Color in the Open Air). New York: Springer-Verlag, 1993.Google Scholar
Greenler, R., Rainbows, Halos, and Glories. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980.Google Scholar
ASTM International, “Standard Solar Constant and Zero Air Mass Solar Spectral Irradiance Tables,” ASTM E490-00a, 2014.Google Scholar
Collis, R. T. H. and Russell, P. B., “Lidar Measurement of Particles and Gases by Elastic Backscattering and Differential Absorption,” in Laser Monitoring of the Atmosphere, Hinckley, E. D., Ed. New York: Springer, 1976, pp. 71151.Google Scholar
National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and United States Air Force, The U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976. NOAA-S/T 76–1562 (1976). [Online]. Available: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770009539.pdf. [Accessed January 15, 2021].Google Scholar
Global Modelling and Assimilation Office. [Online]. Available: https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov. [Accessed January 15, 2021].Google Scholar
Bucholtz, A., “Rayleigh-Scattering Calculations for the Terrestrial Atmosphere,” Applied Optics, vol. 34, pp. 27652773, 1995.Google Scholar
Adam, M., “Notes on Rayleigh Scattering in Lidar Signals,” Applied Optics, vol. 51, pp. 21352149, 2012.Google Scholar
European Space Agency (ESA), “ADM-Aeolus Science Report,” ESA SP-1311, 2008. [Online]. Available: https://earth.esa.int/documents/10174/1590943/AEOL002.pdf. [Accessed January 17, 2021].Google Scholar
Baumgarten, G., “Doppler Rayleigh/Mie/Raman lidar for Wind and Temperature Measurements in the Middle Atmosphere up to 80 km,” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, vol. 3, pp. 15091518, 2010.Google Scholar
HITRAN Online. [Online]. Available: https://hitran.org. [Accessed January 14, 2021].Google Scholar
HITRAN PC. [Online]. Available: https://ontar.com/software. [Accessed January 14, 2021].Google Scholar
AER’s Radiative Transfer Working Group – Main Window. [Online]. Available: rtweb.aer.com. [Accessed January 14, 2021].Google Scholar
SpectralCalc Hi-resolution spectral modeling. [Online]. Available: www.spectralcalc.com. [Accessed January 14, 2021].Google Scholar
Gimmestad, G. G., “Differential-Absorption Lidar for Ozone and Industrial Emissions,” in Lidar: Range-Resolved Optical Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Weitkamp, C., Ed. New York: Springer, 2005, pp. 187212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Behrendt, A. and Nakamura, T., “Calculation of the Calibration Constant of Polarization Lidar and Its Dependency on Atmospheric temperature,” Optics Express, vol. 10, no. 16, pp. 805817, 2005.Google Scholar
Behrendt, A., Nakamura, T., Onishi, M., Baumgart, R., and Tsuda, T., “ Combined Raman Lidar for the Measurement of Atmospheric Temperature, Water Vapor, Particle Extinction Coefficient, and Particle Backscatter Coefficient,” Applied Optics, vol. 41, pp. 76577666, 2002.Google Scholar
Ansmann, A. et al., “Combined Raman Elastic-Backscatter LIDAR for Vertical Profiling of Moisture, Aerosol Extinction, Backscatter, and LIDAR Ratio,” Applied Physics B, vol. 55, pp. 1828, 1990.Google Scholar
Bowman, M. R., Gibson, A. J., and Sandford, M. C. W., “Atmospheric Sodium Measured by a Tuned Laser Radar,” Nature, vol. 221, pp. 456457, 1969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chu, X. and Papen, G. C., “Resonance Fluorescence Lidar for Measurements of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere,” in Laser Remote Sensing, Fujii, T. and Fukuchi, T., Eds. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2005, pp. 179432.Google Scholar
Chu, X. et al., “First simultaneous lidar observations of thermosphere‐ionosphere Fe and Na (TIFe and TINa) layers at McMurdo (77.84°S, 166.67°E), Antarctica with concurrent measurements of aurora activity, enhanced ionization layers, and converging electric field,” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 47, e2020GL090181 (2020). [Online serial]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090181. [Accessed 25 February 2021].Google Scholar
Calpini, B. and Simeonov, V., “Trace Gas Species Detection in the Lower Atmosphere by Lidar: From Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Pollutants to Possible Air Pollution Abatement Strategies,” in Laser Remote Sensing, Fujii, T. and Fukuchi, T., Eds. New York: Taylor and Francis 2005, pp. 123177.Google Scholar
Molina, L. T. and Molina, M. J., “Absolute Absorption Cross Sections of Ozone in the 185‐ to 350‐nm Wavelength Range,” Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, vol. 91, pp. 1450114508, 1986.Google Scholar
Gorshelev, V., Serdyuchenko, A., Weber, M., et al., “High Spectral Resolution Ozone Absorption Cross-Sections – Part 1: Measurements, Data Analysis and Comparison with Previous Measurements around 293 K,” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, vol. 7, pp. 609624, 2014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O3 Spectra, [Online]. Available: O3 Spectra (uni-bremen.de). [Accessed February 7, 2022].Google Scholar
Forrister, H. N., Roberts, D. W., Mercer, A. J., and Gimmestad, G. G., “Infrared Lidar Measurements of Stratospheric Aerosols,” Applied Optics, vol. 53, pp. D40–D48, 2014.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×