Joseph Sanak

Observing the forest canopy with a new ultra-violet compact airborne lidar.

We have developed a new airborne UV lidar for the forest canopy and deployed it in the Landes forest (France). It is the first one that: (i) operates at 355 nm for emitting energetic pulses of 16 mJ at 20 Hz while fulfilling eye-safety regulations and (ii) is flown onboard an ultra-light airplane for enhanced flight flexibility. Laser footprints at ground level were 2.4 m wide for a flying altitude of 300 m. Three test areas of ∼500 × 500 m2 with Maritime pines of different ages were investigated. We used a threshold method adapted for this lidar to accurately extract from its waveforms detailed forest canopy vertical structure: canopy top, tree crown base and undergrowth heights. Good detection sensitivity enabled the observation of ground returns underneath the trees. Statistical and one-to-one comparisons with ground measurements by field foresters indicated a mean absolute accuracy of ∼1 m. Sensitivity tests on detection threshold showed the importance of signal to noise ratio and footprint size for a proper detection of the canopy vertical structure. This UV-lidar is intended for future innovative applications of simultaneous observation of forest canopy, laser-induced vegetation fluorescence and atmospheric aerosols.

Low Tropospheric Layers Over Reunion Island in Lidar-Derived Observations and a High-Resolution Model

In November and December 2008, ground-based mobile lidar (GBML) measurements were carried out on Reunion Island (Indian Ocean,

New approach for aerosol profiling with a lidar onboard an ultralight aircraft: application to the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis.

21^{\circ }07^{\prime }\hbox {S}, 55^{\circ }32^{\prime }\hbox {E}

Simultaneous observations of lower tropospheric continental aerosols with a ground‐based, an airborne, and the spaceborne CALIOP lidar system

21∘07′S,55∘32′E, 700 km east of Madagascar) with an ultraviolet (355 nm) aerosol-backscatter lidar. Complex substructures were identified within the planetary boundary layer (PBL). A 500-m-resolution non-hydrostatic model was used to simulate the dynamics of the lower troposphere for two observation periods characteristic of the two main weather regimes in this season: the “trade-wind” regime and the “breeze” regime. The model captured the observed structures with a high degree of realism compared to the GBML. A complete diurnal cycle of the PBL along the south coast of the island during a “trade-wind” day was observed and simulated. The PBL depth was found to be anti-correlated with the wind speed. The model showed that the PBL along the coast behaved as a shallow-water flow in hydraulic theory. As the flow accelerated in response to lateral constriction, conversion of potential into kinetic energy forced the PBL top downwards. This favoured rapid transport of concentrated surface emissions within the contracted surface layer, with a possible impact on air quality. GBML observations were also conducted during the early morning of a “breeze” day on the western slope of the Maïdo mountain (2,200 m), at the top of which a new atmospheric observatory has been in operation since 2012. Both model and GBML revealed two superposed layers. The upper layer, higher than approximately 1,600 m above mean sea level, corresponded to free tropospheric air driven by the trade winds. Below, westerly counterflow advection of humid marine air occurred as a result of wake vortices in the lee of the island. The model suggests that free-tropospheric conditions prevail at the observatory from the second half of the night to mid-morning.