Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems

<p>There is a need for improved wind measurements inside the planetary boundary layer (PBL), including the capability to sample turbulent flow. Airborne Doppler lidar (ADL) provides unique capabilities for spatially resolved and targeted wind measurements in the PBL. However, ADL wind profilin...

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Main Authors: P. Gasch, J. Kasic, O. Maas, Z. Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2023-11-01
Series:Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/5495/2023/amt-16-5495-2023.pdf
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author P. Gasch
J. Kasic
O. Maas
Z. Wang
author_facet P. Gasch
J. Kasic
O. Maas
Z. Wang
author_sort P. Gasch
collection DOAJ
description <p>There is a need for improved wind measurements inside the planetary boundary layer (PBL), including the capability to sample turbulent flow. Airborne Doppler lidar (ADL) provides unique capabilities for spatially resolved and targeted wind measurements in the PBL. However, ADL wind profiling in the PBL is challenging, as turbulence violates the flow homogeneity assumption used in wind profile retrieval and thereby introduces error in the retrieved wind profiles. As turbulence is a dominant source of error it is necessary to investigate and optimize ADL wind profiling capabilities in turbulent PBL flow.</p> <p>This study investigates the potential of a novel multiple-fixed-beam ADL system design to provide improved wind information in turbulent PBL flow compared to traditional single-scanning-beam ADL systems. To achieve this, an LES-based (LES: large eddy simulation) airborne Doppler lidar simulator presented in <span class="cit" id="xref_text.1"><a href="#bib1.bibx14">Gasch et al.</a> (<a href="#bib1.bibx14">2020</a>)</span> is employed and extended in this study.</p> <p>Results show that a multiple-fixed-beam system with settings comparable to those of commonly used single-scanning-beam systems offers distinct advantages. Advantages include overall reduced wind profile retrieval error due to turbulence and improved spatial representation alongside higher wind profile availability. The study also offers insight into the dependence of the retrieval error on system setup parameters and retrieval parameters for both fixed-beam and scanning-beam systems. When using a fixed-beam system, an order of magnitude higher wind profile resolution appears possible compared to traditional scanning systems at comparable retrieval accuracy. Thus, using multiple-fixed-beam systems opens the door to better sampling of turbulent PBL flow.</p> <p>Overall, the simulator provides a cost-effective tool to investigate and optimize wind profile error characteristics due to turbulence and to optimize system setup and retrieval strategies for ADL wind profiling in turbulent flow.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-3d84a36909d84994abf94561230cb38a2023-11-16T12:26:16ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482023-11-01165495552310.5194/amt-16-5495-2023Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systemsP. Gasch0J. Kasic1O. Maas2Z. Wang3Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, GermanyDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USAInstitute of Meteorology and Climatology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hanover, GermanyDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA<p>There is a need for improved wind measurements inside the planetary boundary layer (PBL), including the capability to sample turbulent flow. Airborne Doppler lidar (ADL) provides unique capabilities for spatially resolved and targeted wind measurements in the PBL. However, ADL wind profiling in the PBL is challenging, as turbulence violates the flow homogeneity assumption used in wind profile retrieval and thereby introduces error in the retrieved wind profiles. As turbulence is a dominant source of error it is necessary to investigate and optimize ADL wind profiling capabilities in turbulent PBL flow.</p> <p>This study investigates the potential of a novel multiple-fixed-beam ADL system design to provide improved wind information in turbulent PBL flow compared to traditional single-scanning-beam ADL systems. To achieve this, an LES-based (LES: large eddy simulation) airborne Doppler lidar simulator presented in <span class="cit" id="xref_text.1"><a href="#bib1.bibx14">Gasch et al.</a> (<a href="#bib1.bibx14">2020</a>)</span> is employed and extended in this study.</p> <p>Results show that a multiple-fixed-beam system with settings comparable to those of commonly used single-scanning-beam systems offers distinct advantages. Advantages include overall reduced wind profile retrieval error due to turbulence and improved spatial representation alongside higher wind profile availability. The study also offers insight into the dependence of the retrieval error on system setup parameters and retrieval parameters for both fixed-beam and scanning-beam systems. When using a fixed-beam system, an order of magnitude higher wind profile resolution appears possible compared to traditional scanning systems at comparable retrieval accuracy. Thus, using multiple-fixed-beam systems opens the door to better sampling of turbulent PBL flow.</p> <p>Overall, the simulator provides a cost-effective tool to investigate and optimize wind profile error characteristics due to turbulence and to optimize system setup and retrieval strategies for ADL wind profiling in turbulent flow.</p>https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/5495/2023/amt-16-5495-2023.pdf
spellingShingle P. Gasch
J. Kasic
O. Maas
Z. Wang
Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
title Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
title_full Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
title_fullStr Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
title_full_unstemmed Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
title_short Advancing airborne Doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow – an LES-based optimization of traditional scanning-beam versus novel fixed-beam measurement systems
title_sort advancing airborne doppler lidar wind profiling in turbulent boundary layer flow an les based optimization of traditional scanning beam versus novel fixed beam measurement systems
url https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/5495/2023/amt-16-5495-2023.pdf
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AT jkasic advancingairbornedopplerlidarwindprofilinginturbulentboundarylayerflowanlesbasedoptimizationoftraditionalscanningbeamversusnovelfixedbeammeasurementsystems
AT omaas advancingairbornedopplerlidarwindprofilinginturbulentboundarylayerflowanlesbasedoptimizationoftraditionalscanningbeamversusnovelfixedbeammeasurementsystems
AT zwang advancingairbornedopplerlidarwindprofilinginturbulentboundarylayerflowanlesbasedoptimizationoftraditionalscanningbeamversusnovelfixedbeammeasurementsystems