A new generation high resolution lidar for atmospheric water vapor and temperature measurements in the lower atmosphere

A new generation Raman lidar which measures water vapor and temperature at high spatial (1.5 m) and temporal (1 s) resolution in the lower atmospheric boundary layer is presented. This system has particular advantages for field studies including: ease of portability, almost constant signal to noise ratio for the first 500 m, accurate near land surface detection (10 m ), operation in the solar blind region (suitable for daytime operation), high detection efficiency, and the first measurements ever of temperature in the solar blind using pure rotational Raman spectra. The system and its operation will be described and the first diurnal measurements of the lower atmosphere will be presented. This system is an critical new advance in measurement technology to aid in our understanding of the impacts of land use/land cover changes and the interactions with the atmosphere.