Co-Boresighted Coherent Laser Velocimeter and Direct Detection Lidar for Dust Devil Characterization

This paper describes recent work developing a mobile co-boresighted coherent laser velocimeter and direct detection Lidar for the characterization of dust devils. We also report on the field deployment of that system during the Summer of 2006. The Lidar consists of a large, scanning aperture direct detection elastic scattering Lidar operating at 355 nm, and a CW coherent heterodyne laser velocimeter operating at 1550 nm. The coherent system is not capable of ranging but provides azimuthal velocities in the dust devil. Spatial dimensions and azimuthal velocity are critical parameters for understanding the energetics of the dust devils.