In this study, multiple remote sensing and in-situ measurements are combined in order to obtain a comprehensive
understanding of the aerosol distribution in New York City. Measurement of the horizontal distribution of aerosols is
performed using a scanning eye-safe elastic-backscatter micro-pulse lidar. Vertical distribution of aerosols is measured
with a co-located ceilometer. Furthermore, our analysis also includes in-situ measurements of particulate matter and
wind speed and direction. These observations combined show boundary layer dynamics as well as transport and
inhomogeneous spatial distribution of aerosols, which are of importance for air quality monitoring.
Methane and Nitrous Oxide are long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with significant global warming effects. We report on application of chirped-pulsed quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) to simultaneous measurements of these trace gases in both open-path fence-line and backscatter systems. The intra-pulse thermal frequency chip in a QCL can be time resolved and calibrated to allow for high resolution differential optical absorption spectroscopy over the spectral window of the chip, which for a DFB-QCL can be reach ~2cm-1 for a 500 nsec pulse. The spectral line-shape of the output from these lasers are highly stable from pulse to pulse over long period of time (> 1 day), and the system does not require frequent calibrations.
Fugitive gas emissions from agricultural or industrial plants and gas pipelines are an important environmental concern as they can contribute to the global increase of greenhouse gas concentration. Moreover, they are also a security and safety concern because of possible risk of fire/explosion or toxicity. This study presents gas concentration measurements using a quantum cascade laser open path system (QCLOPS). The system retrieves the path-averaged concentration of N2O by collecting the backscattered light from a scattering target. The gas concentration measurements have a high temporal resolution (68 ms) and are achieved at sufficient range (up to 40 m, ~ 130 feet) with a detection limit of 0.4 ppm for N2O. Given these characteristics, this system is promising for mobile/multidirectional remote detection and evaluation of gas leaks.