Abstract

Since 1981 the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) and the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), United Kingdom, have made vertical and horizontal sounding measurements of aerosol backscatter cross-section using an airborne continuous-wave (CW) focused CO₂ Doppler lidar, the Laser True Airspeed System (LATAS). The LATAS measures both the backscatter cross-section and line-of-sight velocity (with respect to the LATAS) of naturally-occurring micrometer-sized aerosol particles. These measurements are an important part of a data base for the development of a global-scale model of aerosol backscatter at CO₂ wavelengths (Bowdle, 1986). In turn, the model is used in the design and simulated operation of NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) prospective Lidar Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) (Baker and Curran, 1985). The performance of LAWS in providing global wind measurements will be critically dependent upon the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, which is primarily a function of the concentration and backscatter efficiency of aerosols in the sample volume. This report describes the computer algorithm used to convert the LATAS measurements of backscatter signal into estimates of SNR and backscatter coefficient.

© 1987 Optical Society of America