Design for a comprehensive optical atmospheric monitoring system

Optical technology offers the benefit of immunity to troublesome radio-frequency interference (RFI), power transmission interference, and lightning surges. Advances in optical data transmission systems, particularly fiber optics, related to the communications industry has presented new development opportunities. Present environmental applications include air pollution monitoring devices, particle counters, rainfall detection systems, and remote sensors including lidar. However, specific to fiber optic technology advancement, meteorological sensors can now be developed to monitor wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity, rain accumulation and rate, and barometric pressure. Additionally, fiber optic lidar systems have the capability to measure wind speed, wind direction, and turbulence quantities at short or relatively long ranges. All of these sensors can now be integrated into a suite to provide a comprehensive meteorological monitoring system. These meteorological sensors can also be possibly combined with optical air pollution sensors for a multifunctional atmospheric monitoring system. A design for a comprehensive optical atmospheric monitoring system using these types of sensing systems will be presented.