Fiber-based lidar for atmospheric water-vapor measurements

The design and evaluation of a prototype fiber-based lidar system for autonomous measurement of atmospheric water vapor are presented. The system components are described, along with current limitations and options for improvement. Atmospheric measurements show good agreement with modeled signal returns from 400 to 1000 m but are limited below 400 m as a result of errors in signal processing caused by violation of the assumptions used in the derivation of the differential absorption lidar equation.