Four-Wavelength Lidar Evaluation of Particle Characteristics and Aerosol Densities

The SRI International four-wavelength 0.53, 1.06, 3.8, 10.6 micron lidar systems was used during the SNOW-ONE-B and Smoke Week XISNOW-TWO field experiments to validate its capabilities in assessing obscurant optical and physical properties. The lidar viewed along a horizontal path terminated by a passive reflector. Data examples were analyzed in terms of time-dependent transmission, wavelength dependence of optical depth, and range-resolved extinction coefficients. Three methods were used to derive extinction data from the lidar signatures. These were target method, Klett method and experimental data method. The results of the field and analysis programs are reported in the journal and conference papers that are appended to this report, and include Comparison Study of Lidar Extinction Methods, submitted to Applied Optics, Error Analysis of Lidar Solution Techniques for Range-Resolved Extinction Coefficients Based on Observational Data, SmokeObscurants Symposium IX, Four-- Wavelength Lidar Measurements from Smoke Week VISNOW-TWO, SmokeObscurants Symposium VIII, SNOW-ONE-B Multiple-Wavelenngth Lidar Measurements. Snow Symposium III, and Lidar Applications for Obscurant Evaluations, Smoke Obscurants Symposium VII, The report also provides a summary of background work leading to this project, and of project results.