Versatile Lidar for Atmospheric Studies, Including Plume Dispersion, Clouds, and Stratospheric Aerosol

A transportable scanning lidar for studying clouds, plume dispersion, and stratospheric aerosol at any of three wavelengths is described. A ruby laser transmits linearly polarized light of 694.3-nm wavelength at a maximum 0.8 sec super(-) super(1) pulse rate. The lidar can discriminate between parallel, orthogonal, or combined polarizations of backscatter in a multichannel receiver. The lidar can simultaneously operate at the frequency-doubled wavelength of 347.2 nm. A frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, emitting at 532.0 nm and at a maximum pulse rate of 10 sec super(-) super(1) , normally performs mapping of plume structure. Range resolution, including receiver response, is