Bioaerosol Study

Objective

A variety of different observing platforms are available for providing estimates of meteorological variables required for calculation of atmospheric transport and diffusion (T&D) of hazardous material, such as bioaerosols. This study evaluates different options available for providing input wind data, with a focus on Doppler lidars.

Description

This study, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA), uses Observing System Simulation Experiments to define the optimal ways that Doppler lidars can be used to define boundary-layer winds on the urban scale. In particular, issues are being addressed, such as the quantitative benefit of using a dual-lidar system versus one with only a single lidar, and the best specific lidar scan strategies. Another more general objective is quantifying the benefit of using lidar-derived winds for T&D calculations, in contrast to winds based only on conventional observing systems, such as wind profilers and radiosondes.