About
the EVE lidar
ALADIN
ALADIN onboard ESA-Aeolus satellite mission, is a Doppler Wind Lidar (DWL) operating in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum (355 nm), implemented in a transceiver configuration and tilted 35° from nadir in order to provide line-of-sight wind profiles. It is also a High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), capable of deriving aerosol optical parameters such as backscatter and extinction coefficient profiles as well as the extinction-to-backscatter (lidar) ratio at 355 nm. ALADIN emits circularly polarized radiation but detects only the co-polarized component of the backscattered radiation. This limitation has almost negligible impact when spherical aerosol particles are probed. However, when non-spherical, depolarizing particles, such as desert dust, volcanic ash, and ice crystals are present, an uncertainty introduced on the aerosol backscatter coefficient retrieval due to the misdetection cross-polarized component.
EarthCARE
EarthCARE is an upcoming multi-instrument satellite mission aiming to advance our understanding of the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back into space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface. The mission will employ high-performance lidar (ATLID) and radar technology that has never been flown in space before.
EarthCARE will deliver unprecedented datasets to allow scientists to study the relationship of clouds, aerosols and radiation at accuracy levels that will significantly improve our understanding of these highly variable parameters.
Further reading
You can get further technical info for the EVE lidar in the following publication:
Paschou P. et al.: “The eVe reference polarisation lidar system for the calibration and validation of the Aeolus L2A product”, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2299–2323, 2022.