The CALIOP lidar was launched on CALIPSO into the A-Train of satellites in April 2006. Designed to study the impact of aerosols and clouds on climate, its value to a broader range of Earth Science is now being demonstrated. CALIPSO is designed to measure the intensity and altitude of “scatterers”; it profiles the atmosphere. These scatters range from air molecules to dust, but also vegetation, land and ocean surface, and even below the ocean surface. Providing the third dimension, CALIOP can complement traditional imagers. Work is being performed to understand how well the lidar can characterize vegetation and 'biomass' both above and below the ocean. As the potential for new science is being explored, new technologies are being investigated to continue to expand lidar capabilities. A new type of “Flash” Lidar is being tested at Ball Aerospace to investigate its potential to increase the global coverage of lidars. Flash lidars provide true three-dimensional imaging capability via arrays of detectors that both measure intensity and time-of-flight of a laser beam. The applications of these new techniques and technologies to missions like ACE and DESDynI are being explored. The potential, and the reality, of space-based laser remote sensing are continuing to expand.
NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Active Awards Represented by this Poster: