Abstract

The Consortium Lidar, located at Utah State University (41.7° N, 111.8° W), is developing into a major lidar facility to study the middle atmosphere. Organizationally, the consortium is made up of Utah State University, University of Maryland, Clemson University, and University College London—the universities that have contributed, along with the NSF, to setting up the facility. Regular Rayleigh-scatter observations at 532 nm, to obtain relative densities and absolute neutral temperatures, are made with a Spectra Physics, seeded, Nd:YAG laser. They began in August 1993. Vibrational Raman-scatter observations at 607 nm, to extend the temperatures down to the tropopause, began a year later. To maximize the scientific return, observations are made almost every clear night, and they are coordinated with other middle atmosphere observations made from USU’s CEDAR observatory at Bear Lake and from the shuttle and satellites.

© 1995 Optical Society of America