ABSTRACT
LIDAR is an atmospheric sounding instrument based on the use of high-power lasers. The use of these lasers involves fulfilling obligations with respect to air safety. In this article, we present a low-cost air traffic surveillance solution integrated into an automated operating system for the Rayleigh-Mie-Raman LIDAR of Clermont Ferrand and the statistical elements of its application over more than two years of operation from September 2019 to March 2022. Air traffic surveillance that includes the possibility of shutting off lasers is required by international regulations because LIDAR is equipped with a class four laser that presents potential dangers to aircraft flying overhead. The original system presented in this article is based on software-defined radio. ADS-B transponder frames are analyzed in real-time, and laser emission is stopped during LIDAR operation when an aircraft is detected within a 2 km radius around the LIDAR. The system was accredited in 2019 by the French air traffic authorities. Laser shutdowns due to the detection of aircraft near the Clermont Ferrand LIDAR caused a data loss rate of less than 2% during the period of application.
ABSTRACT
We present a Rayleigh-Mie-Raman LIDAR system in operation at Clermont-Ferrand (France) since 2008. The system provides continuous vertical tropospheric profiles of aerosols, cirrus optical properties and water vapour mixing ratio. Located in proximity to the high altitude Puy de Dôme station, labelled as the GAW global station PUY since August 2014, it is a useful tool to describe the boundary layer dynamics and hence interpret in situ measurements. This LIDAR has been upgraded with specific hardware/software developments and laboratory calibrations in order to improve the quality of the profiles, calibrate the depolarization ratio, and increase the automation of operation. As a result, we provide a climatological water vapour profile analysis for the 2009-2013 period, showing an annual cycle with a winter minimum and a summer maximum, consistent with in-situ observations at the PUY station. An overview of a preliminary climatology of cirrus clouds frequency shows that in 2014, more than 30% of days present cirrus events. Finally, the backscatter coefficient profile observed on 27 September 2014 shows the capacity of the system to detect cirrus clouds at 13 km altitude, in presence of aerosols below the 5 km altitude.
