Abstract

We report airborne measurements of lidar directional reflectance (backscatter) from land surfaces at a wavelength in the 2.05 μm ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ absorption band, with emphasis on snow-covered surfaces in various natural environments. Lidar backscatter measurements using this instrument provide insight into the capabilities of lidar for both airborne and future global-scale ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ measurements from low Earth orbit pertinent to the NASA Active Sensing of ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons mission. Lidar measurement capability is particularly useful when the use of solar scattering spectroscopy is not feasible for high-accuracy atmospheric ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ measurements. Consequently, performance in high-latitude and winter season environments is an emphasis. Snow-covered surfaces are known to be dark in the ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ band spectral regions. The quantitative backscatter data from these field measurements help to elucidate the range of backscatter values that can be expected in natural environments.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

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