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  • © 2015

A Novel Lidar Ceilometer

Design, Implementation and Characterisation

  • Nominated as an outstanding Ph.D. Thesis by Loughborough University, UK
  • Provides a comprehensive description of the opto-mechanical design process for an elastic backscatter lidar
  • First detailed consideration of the lidar overlap problem in the literature
  • Commercial instrument developed based on this research
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Springer Theses (Springer Theses)

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Hardcover Book USD 109.99
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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Introduction and Literature Review

    • Joshua D. Vande Hey
    Pages 1-21
  3. Theory of Lidar

    • Joshua D. Vande Hey
    Pages 23-41
  4. Determination of Lidar Overlap

    • Joshua D. Vande Hey
    Pages 81-106
  5. Conclusions and Further Work

    • Joshua D. Vande Hey
    Pages 147-156
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 157-158

About this book

In this thesis, a new lidar (light detection and ranging) ceilometer capable of monitoring cloud base and sensitive to boundary layer aerosols is introduced. The key to this novelty lies in its divided-lens design that addresses a classical lidar problem of balancing transmitter-receiver overlap and signal-to-noise ratio, along with a method for characterizing overlap in the laboratory. Enhanced sensitivity in the near-range of the instrument is achieved without compromising signal-to-noise in a design that is straightforward to manufacture for broad deployment. The instrument, its optical characterization, and its performance in the field are described. The prototype instrument described here has since formed the basis of a commercial sensor for monitoring clouds and aerosols.

High-resolution, continuous observations of clouds and aerosols are needed to reduce the large uncertainties in our current understanding of their influence on climate that have been highlighted by the International Panel on Climate Change. And as international health organizations indicate growing public health threats over the coming decades resulting from poor air quality, extensive aerosol monitoring is required to assess personal exposure to and the health impacts of anthropogenic particulates. Ground-based optical remote sensing measurements made by well-characterized instruments, such as that described in these pages, are critical to this.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Joshua D. Vande Hey

About the author

Joshua Vande Hey completed a B.A. in physics at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, in 2001. He then worked as an engineer at Alfalight, Inc., developing optical systems for characterising semiconductor lasers. After relocating to the UK in 2006, he led the development of the optical design and retrieval algorithms for an atmospheric lidar sensor in a collaboration between Loughborough University and Campbell Scientific, Ltd., and in 2013 he completed a PhD in optical engineering at Loughborough University. He is now a Natural Environment Research Council Knowledge Exchange Fellow in aerosols and health, based at the University of Leicester.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access