Uncertainty in Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS) Doppler Lidar Products and Measurements

The Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS) is both a high spectral resolution lidar and Doppler lidar currently being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for use as a demonstrator instrument for NASA’s Aerosol Cloud Ecosystem (ACE) Mission. CATS is intended to fly on NASA’s high-altitude ER-2 aircraft. CATS will be capable of measuring both aerosol properties and horizontal wind velocity as a function of altitude. The accuracy of these measurements is important to the success of the instrument and the ACE mission. Uncertainty equations for both the aerosol and wind products are derived. Initially the only sources of error are assumed to be instrument error in the spectral measurements. Using simulated CATS spectral measurements from simulated atmospheric profiles (an atmosphere with only a cirrus layer, an atmosphere with only a cumulus layer, an atmosphere with only an aerosol layer, and an atmosphere with no clouds or aerosols), the uncertainty in the aerosol and wind products are calculated. These calculated uncertainties are found to be within reason. Also worthy of consideration is the effect of aircraft motion on CATS’ wind measurements and products. An equation for the the nadir angle (assumed to be about 45 degrees for CATS), as well as the uncertainty in this angle, in terms of aircraft pitch and roll is derived. The effect of uncertainty in this angle on the uncertainty in CATS aerosol and wind products is calculated using the same simulated data previously mentioned, which is found to be insignificant for normal, steady flight.