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Instrument

DIAL
Differential Absorption Lidar

The Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) is an airborne lidar system designed at NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses four lasers to detect lidar backscatter to provide profile measurements of ozone and aerosols in the atmosphere. DIAL operates in the ultraviolet (289-300 nm) for ozone measurements and operates in the visible (572-600 nm) and infrared (1064 nm) for aerosols. It has a horizontal spatial resolution of approximately 15 km and has a measurement accuracy of 5 ppbv.

Image of the DIAL lidar system
NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Overview

Instrument Details

Lidar
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Oxygen Compounds > Ozone
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Backscatter
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Backscatter
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Depolarization Ratio
Full Column Profile
8-12 ns
15 km
999-1037 THz, 500-524 THz, 282 THz
External Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1117/12.205568

Instrument Operation

BOREAS

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

1994—1996
Boreal forests of central Canada
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2 Deployments
· 303 Data Products
ABLE

Global Tropospheric Experiment - Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment

1984—1990
Tropical North Atlantic Ocean, Amazon Rainforest, Greenland, Eastern Canada, Alaska
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5 Deployments
· 0 Data Products
ARCTAS

Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites

2008
Alaska, Western Canada, California
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3 Deployments
· 5 Data Products
TC4

Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

2007
Costa Rica, tropical Eastern Pacific
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1 Deployment
· 1 Data Product
TRACE

Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry near the Equator

1992—2001
Brazil, Southern Africa, Tropical Atlantic, Central & Western Regions of the Pacific Ocean Basin
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2 Deployments
· 0 Data Products
AASE

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

1988—1992
the Arctic
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2 Deployments
· 2 Data Products
INTEX-NA

Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

2004—2006
North America, Gulf of Mexico, North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean
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2 Deployments
· 21 Data Products
PAVE

Polar Aura Validation Experiment

2005
Northeastern United States, Eastern Canada
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1 Deployment
· 0 Data Products
POLARIS

Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer

1997
Arctic, Mid-latitudes
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3 Deployments
· 0 Data Products
FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998
Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska
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5 Deployments
· 131 Data Products
The logo for the STRAT campaign
STRAT

Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport

1995—1996
Pacific Ocean, Moffett Field, California, Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii
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6 Deployments
· 9 Data Products

Data Products

Filter data products from this instrument by specific campaigns, platforms, or formats.

Campaigns
CAMPAIGNS
Platforms
PLATFORMS
Formats
FORMATS
Douglas DC-8
External Link10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SEAC4RS_AircraftRemoteSensing_DIAL_DC8_Data_1
Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
lidar, bos