Environment and Resources Management
Monitoring Earth's Atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere is a distinctive blend of chemistry that sustains
life here on the planet. With the global population nearing 6 billion,
it is believed that human activities are inducing atmospheric change. Because
of this linkage, modifications in the atmosphere may be early harbingers
of global climate change. To better monitor the atmosphere, from the ground,
in the air, and from space, various tools are being employed.
One such tool is a new Micro Pulse Lidar (MPL) System, originally developed
by Goddard Space Flight Center and now available commercially from Science
& Engineering Services, Inc. (SESI) of Burtonsville, Maryland through
a technology transfer license.
Lidar stands for Light Detection and Ranging, an optical analog to radar.
Using a lidar, short, intense pulses of laser light are directed to disperse
through the atmosphere. As this laser light propagates, it interacts with
aerosols--particles of liquid or solid dispersed as a suspension in gas--and
molecular constituents. The backscattered energy is measured by the Lidar
system for detailed study.
SESI's Micro Pulse Lidar System is built to characterize numerous details
of the composition and dynamics of the atmosphere, such as atmospheric
cloud and aerosol concentration. The system is suitable for environmental
monitoring studies that require full-time, unattended measurements of cloud
and aerosol height structure.
A main feature of SESI's MPL System is beam expansion, making it eye
safe at all ranges, including the exit aperture of the instrument. Being
eye safe eliminates risk to civilians or aircraft, even in continuous operation.
The device has impressive sensitivity in signal detection over a great
range. The MPL is capable of detecting all significant cloud and aerosol
scattering from the ground through the troposphere, and into the stratosphere--a
distance of over 15 miles. Designed for long-term unattended operation,
the SESI MPL System is well suited for applications requiring routine monitoring
of the atmosphere.
| Science and Engineering Services, Inc.'s
Micro Pulse Lidar System resulted from NASA research and patents. This
instrument is employed to make detailed measurements of atmospheric constituents
and is available on the commercial market. |
Backscattered radiation received by the MPL is transformed into electrical
signals which are subsequently converted into digitized data. Data are
then collected, stored, and analyzed by the system's rack-mounted IBM-compatible
personal computer. The MPL PC also coordinates all of the system operations.
Another feature of the SESI Lidar is the instrument's modest dimensions,
allowing it to be used where space is limited. The system can also be equipped
with a protective climate-controlled enclosure, permitting placement of
the system in field operations where adequate sheltering facilities do
not exist. Upgrading of the unit can be easily done for greater resolution,
performance, or to make the instrument more rugged for use in an aircraft.
Studies of climate dynamics, meteorological research, and environmental
monitoring are but a few possible applications using SESI's Micro Pulse
Lidar.
SESI has been performing Small Business Innovation Research work for
Goddard Space Flight Center and Wallops Flight Facility, as well as private
industries. SESI is engaged in the development of unique tunable solid
state laser systems, various lidar systems for atmospheric measurements,
detection and ranging equipment, and medical instrumentation.
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