Open AccessDevelopment of a multiple-field-of-view multiple-scattering polarization lidar: comparison with cloud radar
Author(s) -
Hajime Okamoto,
Kaori Sato,
Tomoaki Nishizawa,
Naoki Sugimoto,
Toshiyuki Makino,
Yoshitaka Jin,
Atsushi Shimizu,
Toshiaki Takano,
Masahiro Fujikawa
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.030053
Subject(s) - lidar , depolarization ratio , zenith , polarization (electrochemistry) , optics , scattering , remote sensing , radar , physics , perpendicular , field of view , diffuse sky radiation , geology , telecommunications , geometry , chemistry , mathematics , computer science
We developed a multiple-field-of-view multiple-scattering polarization lidar (MFMSPL) to study the microphysics of optically thick clouds. Designed to measure enhanced backscattering and depolarization ratio comparable to space-borne lidar, the system consists of four sets of parallel and perpendicular channels mounted with different zenith angles. Depolarization ratios from water clouds were large as observed by MFMSPL compared to those observed by conventional lidar. Cloud top heights and depolarization ratios tended to be larger for outer MFMSPL channels than for vertically pointing channels. Co-located 95 GHz cloud radar and MFMSPL observations showed reasonable agreement at the observed cloud top height.