Airborne wind lidar observations for the validation of the ADM-Aeolus instrument

Kurzfassung

In order to measure vertical wind profiles globally, the European Space Agency (ESA) implemented the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission Aeolus (ADM-Aeolus), carrying the first wind Lidar worldwide into space. For the validation of the measurement principle and the verification of the calibration and wind measurement strategies of this satellite mission, the DLR operates an airborne prototype of the instrument, the A2D (ALADIN Airborne Demonstrator). In this thesis new methods and algorithms are developed focusing on the evaluation of the ground return signal and the calibration as well as on the application of the zero wind correction and the implementation of quality control schemes. Based on a unique dataset obtained from an airborne campaign in the North Atlantic, statistical comparisons of the first A2D wind speed profiles against measurements of a 2-µm reference Lidar yield random errors of less than 2.5 m/s and 1.5 m/s, respectively, for the Rayleigh and the Mie channel.