Abstract

Lidar can play a crucial role in field experiments that hope to measure atmospheric dispersion in non-ideal but common settings, for instance over complex terrain or near land-water interfaces. The recent participation of WPL's multi-wavelength lidar in such an experiment was characterized by the successful use of a frequency-doubled ruby laser for eyesafe tracking of an oil fog plume. Plume definition in the UV was usually adequate but not equal to that possible in the red. Data processing included corrections for extinction in both the clear air and moderately dense plumes. The EPA-sponsored Plume Impingement Study at Cinder Cone Butte (CCB), Idaho, in October-November 1980 provided data for development of improved models for prediction of air quality when pollutants impinge on elevated terrain under stable (nighttime) conditions (Holzworth, 1980). The lidar data showed that the vertical dispersion parameter of the plume upwind of the hill grew as the square root of the distance from the source in slight and moderate stability.