Evaluation of Vertical Winds near and inside a Cloud Deck Using Coherent Doppler Lidar

Abstract

This paper summarizes high-resolution measurements of the vertical wind fields near and inside a cloud deck from a ground-based 2-?m solid state coherent Doppler lidar. Results include physical characterization of the deck and wind field statistics near and inside the cloud. The data suggest the possibility of wave conditions, which is supported by the corresponding National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration profiler data. The temporal spectra of the vertical velocity estimates inside the cloud have a ?5/3 power-law dependence, and estimates for the spatial structure function and energy dissipation rate are computed. Spectra are investigated for rain conditions where two spectral peaks are observed: one for aerosol target and one for rain.