Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL): A New Approach to Direct-Detection Doppler Wind Profiling

The use of Doppler wind lidar (DWL) is becoming more common in airborne and ground-based atmospheric process investigations. From a space-based perspective, the NASA Decadal Survey states: Tropospheric winds are the number one unmet measurement objective for improving weather forecasts and specifically recognizes Doppler wind lidar (DWL) as the key global-profiling technology. Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL) is the newest of several technologies that are in development to address the 3D winds mission. We will discuss the OAWL measurement theory and contrast with coherent detection and double edge etalon detection, report on OAWL system development and ground and airborne validations under a NASA Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), describe plans to provide the instrument for subsequent scientific investigations, and provide an overview of the unique attributes that OAWL can offer for simultaneous calibrated aerosol (High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL)) and chemical flux measurements that are key to some climate studies.