Orbiting lidars for atmospheric sounding

The conceptual design of a spaceborne lidar instrument is refined, its performance is simulated, and the measurement utility for weather forecasting is assessed. The instrument features a modular design and can be developed in consecutive stages. The input of the improved initial data on the accuracy of weather forecasting is discussed. It is shown that an improvement in long term weather forecasts can be expected. Simulations of the backscatter lidar as well as of the more advanced humidity, temperature and pressure profiles are detailed. Backscatter measurement accuracy is adequate for the relevant situations, but the profiling applications are difficult to realize from the envisaged orbit height of 800 km. A lower orbit near 250 km is required to achieve the desired horizontal resolution.