DLSM: A Coherent and Direct Detection Lidar Simulation Model for Simulating Space-based and Aircraft-Based Lidar Winds

摘要

The U.S. Air Force seeks reliable wind measurements in the vicinity of clouds from the perspective of a satellite platform or high altitude aircraft. These wind observations may be used as input to tactical decision aids or assimilated into weather forecast models. There is also interest in making direct wind measurements blow clouds by sampling through optically thin gaps. Ground-based and airborne-based lidars have demonstrated the ability to make direct measurements of horizontal winds based on determination of the wind-induced Doppler shift in the backscatter signal. To develop an optimal design concept for space-based lidar platforms, a simulation model has been developed to address questions of optimum laser wavelength, pulse length, minimum power, scaning strategies, optimal signal processing and wind computation algorithms. This paper presents an operational simulation model, the Defense Lidar Simulation Model (DLSM), for space-based/airborne coherent and incoherent Doppler lidar wind sounders that produces simulated Doppler lidar winds using either global or mesoscale atmospheric model wind fields.