Application of wind profiles from UV Lidar at Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Physics – Optics

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

The goal of the GroundWinds program is to develop and demonstrate ultra-violet (UV) lidar technology for a future space-based system that will measure the vertical structure of global winds. The only current source of such data is from operational balloon-borne radiosondes, aircraft, and wind profilers, which are reasonably well represented over the U.S. mainland but scarce over the oceans. A satellite system would provide wind measurements distributed all over the globe. Because the air over the Pacific is largely free of aerosols, the NOAA observatory on Mauna Loa at 3-km altitude is an ideal site for testing the optics, hardware, and detectors needed for the satellite system. The Hawaii GroundWinds system is began operations in March 2002 and can operate day or night. The lidar team plans continued operations to provide calibration support for the satellite system when it flies. This paper discusses the utility of the wind data derived from the Hawaii lidar measurements in nowcasting support for astronomical observatories located at the summit of Mauna Kea (~4000 m). The data from the UV lidar, based at ~3300 m on the slope of Mauna Loa, is used in a custom forecasting project that provides operational support for the world-class group of astronomical observatories on nearby Mauna Kea. The lidar data is used to help prepare wind and turbulence nowcasts and forecasts for the summit of Mauna Kea and as input for an operational mesoscale numerical weather prediction system that includes a Local Analysis and Prediction System (LAPS) and a mesoscale NWP model component (MM5). LIDAR wind profiles represent an important data resource for nowcasting, LAPS/MM5 model input, and verification.

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