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.

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

Measurement Type

Lidar

Measurement/Variables

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

Vertical Measurement Regions

Full Column Profile

Temporal Resolution

8-12 ns

Spatial Resolution

15 km

Measurement Frequency

999-1037 THz, 500-524 THz, 282 THz

Calibration Details

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.205568

Online Information

Lead Investigator
Johnathan W. Hair, Richard Ferrare, Amin R. Nehrir
Technical Contact
Johnathan W. Hair
Instrument Maker
LaRC
Funding Source
NASA
Overview Publications
Currently unavailable
Repositories
- Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)
- Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC (GHRC)

Instrument Operation

Platform

Campaigns, where the platform was used with this instrument

Electra

Lockheed L-188C Electra

4 Campaigns · 34 Instruments

BOREAS

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

1994—1996

Boreal forests of central Canada

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· 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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· 0 Data Products

DC-8

Douglas DC-8

36 Campaigns · 168 Instruments

ARCTAS

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

2008

Alaska, Western Canada, California

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· 5 Data Products

TC4

Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

2007

Costa Rica, tropical Eastern Pacific

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· 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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· 0 Data Products

AAOE

Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

1987

Antarctica

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· 1 Data Product

AASE

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

1988—1992

Arctic

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· 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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· 21 Data Products

PAVE

Polar Aura Validation Experiment

2005

Northeastern United States, Eastern Canada

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· 0 Data Products

SONEX

Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

1997

North Atlantic Ocean, Ireland, Newfoundland, Bangor, Maine, Azores

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· 10 Data Products

TOTE-VOTE

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

1995—1996

Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, Alaska, Iceland, Arctic, Arctic Ocean

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· 10 Data Products

SOLVE

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

1999—2003

Arctic, Kiruna, Sweden

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· 32 Data Products

ER-2

NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

48 Campaigns · 106 Instruments

POLARIS

Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer

1997

Arctic, Mid-latitudes

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· 0 Data Products

Field Site

Campaign Field Sites

Stationary

57 Campaigns · 160 Instruments

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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· 131 Data Products

Image of a FLUXNET tower in Harvard Forests, Maine

Permanent Land Site

Campaign Permanent Land Sites

Stationary

42 Campaigns · 68 Instruments

STRAT

Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport

1995—1996

Pacific Ocean, Moffett Field, California, Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii

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· 9 Data Products

TOTE-VOTE

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

1995—1996

Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, Alaska, Iceland, Arctic, Arctic Ocean

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· 10 Data Products

SOLVE

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

1999—2003

Arctic, Kiruna, Sweden

view all deployment dates

· 32 Data Products

Data Products

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

Campaigns

Platforms

Formats

INTEXA_DC8_AIRCRAFT

CampaignsIntercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), Including Halley Bay Ozonesonde Data on CD-ROM

CampaignsAirborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Balloons, Douglas DC-8, NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

INTEXB_DC8_AIRCRAFT

CampaignsIntercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

STRAT Ground Site Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/STRAT_Ground_Data_1

CampaignsStratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites, Campaign Permanent Land Sites

Formatslidar, bos

SASS (Subsonics Assessment) Ozone and NOx Experiment (SONEX) Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) Remotely Sensed Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SONEX_AircraftRemoteSensing_DC8_DIAL_Data_1

CampaignsSubsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsAmes

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment - Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment (TOTE-VOTE) Ground Site Lidar Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/TOTE-VOTE_Ground_Data_1

CampaignsTropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Permanent Land Sites, Campaign Vehicles

FormatsLIDAR

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment (TOTE-VOTE) DC-8 Remotely Sensed Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/TOTE-VOTE_AircraftRemoteSensing_DC8_DIAL_Data_1

CampaignsTropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsDC

SOLVE I DC-8 Aircraft Remotely Sensed Lidar Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE1_AircraftRemoteSensing_DC8_Lidar_Data_1

CampaignsSAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsOther Ames

SOLVE I Ground Site Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE1_Ground_Data_1

CampaignsSAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Permanent Land Sites

FormatsOther Ames

SOLVE II DC-8 Aircraft Remotely Sensed Lidar Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE2_AircraftRemoteSensing_DC8_Lidar_Data_1