A Sigma Space micro pulse lidar with polarization (MPL-P, model MPL-4B-IDS-532), is situated inside the penthouse lab, transmitting at 532 nm. The lidar is used for the continuous monitoring of aerosol profiles nominally up to the tropopause. The transmitted beam alternates between co-polarized and cross-polarized states, with the polarization measurements allowing determination of phase for mixed-phase clouds and easing discrimination of aerosol from cloud at a 30 m vertical resolution. The lidar is particularly useful for discriminating dust from sea salt at this location.
Daily images span 0-5 km and 0-20 km in height.
