GroundWinds 2000 field campaign: demonstration of new Doppler lidar technology and wind lidar data intercomparison

A field campaign featuring three collocated Doppler wind lidars was conducted over ten days during September 2000 at the GroundWinds Observatory in New Hampshire. The lidars were dissimilar in wavelength and Doppler detection method. The GroundWinds lidar operated at 532 nm and used fringe-imaging direct detection, while the Goddard Lidar Observatory for Winds (GLOW) ran at 355 nm and employed double-edge filter direct detection, and the NOAA mini-MOPA operated at 10 microns and used heterodyne detection. The objectives of the campaign were (1) to demonstrate the capability of the GroundWinds lidar to measure winds while employing several novel components, and (2) to compare directly the radial wind velocities measured by the three lidars for as wide a variety of conditions as possible. Baseline wind profiles and ancillary meteorological data (temperature and humidity profiles) were obtained by launching GPS radiosondes from the observatory as frequently as every 90 minutes. During the final week of the campaign the lidars collected data along common lines-of-sight for several extended periods. The wind speed varied from light to jet stream values, and sky conditions ranged from clear to thick clouds. Intercomparisons of overlapping lidar and radiosonde observations show that all three lidars were able to measure wind given sufficient backscatter. At ranged volumes containing thicker clouds, and those beyond, the wind sensing capability of the direct detection lidars was adversely affected.