Cloud Height Measurements With A Pulsed N2 Laser Ceilometer

I. Itzkan; M. E. Mack; R. G. Morton

doi:10.1117/12.957941

19 December 1979 Cloud Height Measurements With A Pulsed N₂Laser Ceilometer

I. Itzkan, M. E. Mack, R. G. Morton

Proceedings Volume 0195, Atmospheric Effects on Radiative Transfer; (1979) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.957941
Event: 23rd Annual Technical Symposium, 1979, San Diego, United States

Abstract

A series of cloud height measurements using a pulsed N₂-laser ceilometer were made at a location 5.6 kilometers from the Logan Airport tower (Boston, Mass.) The results were compared with data obtained from the Logan Airport rotating beam ceilometer and reports by the pilots of aircraft passing through the cloud layers. Wherever simultaneous data was available, the comparison was favorable. The system has the capability for 10 meter resolution and data rates to 500 complete vertical profiles per second. The system demonstrated its capability for performing well under all sorts of adverse weather conditions including rain, snow and fog. Cloud thickness could be inferred, the presence of multiple layers was easily detected, and clouds to altitudes of 9 kilometers were observed. The maximum observed altitude was not limited by signal-to-noise, but because higher clouds were not available during the test period. In addition to a conventional A-scope presentation, the round trip time-of-flight to the base of the nearest cloud was digitized, and presented visually as a numerical readout. A three minute movie, taken during conditions of light rain, will be shown, demonstrating the rapid fluctuations which can occur in the cloud structure on a time scale of a few seconds.

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I. Itzkan, M. E. Mack, and R. G. Morton "Cloud Height Measurements With A Pulsed N₂Laser Ceilometer", Proc. SPIE 0195, Atmospheric Effects on Radiative Transfer, (19 December 1979); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.957941

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KEYWORDS

Clouds

Pulsed laser operation

Fiber optic gyroscopes

Eye

Oscilloscopes

Nitrogen lasers

Gallium arsenide

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