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Facilities

Crest Lidar Network

Optical BenchCREST LIDAR Network (NY,VA,MD,PR) studies the vertical profiling along the Atlantic Coast transect from NYC to Caribbean with applications to aerosol transport and air quality. It has been cooperated in founding the International GAW Aerosol LIDAR Observation Network. Lidar is an acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging, a technique similar in principle to Sonar and Radar to determine ranging, or the measurement of distance by time domain reflections. Lidar uses a (often pulsed) beam source while measuring the time and intensity of reflected energy. When there is no 'solid' target, there is still a small portion of the beam that is reflected by atmospheric constituents along the line of sight (backscatter.) This measurement technique can infer several characteristics of the target or also of the intervening atmosphere.

The processed return signal or echo can be used to develop 2 and 3 dimensional plots, and has numerous applied uses:

  • Backscatter Lidar (e.g our lidar data of aerosol vertical concentration versus time in the earth's atmosphere.)
  • Raman Lidar (Light scattering by molecules where the wavelength is changed by the scattering. The change in wavelength depends on the temperature of the air and the type of molecule from which the scattering takes place. This can be used, for example, to determine the water vapor concentration in the upper atmosphere.)
  • Cirrus Cloud Lidar (e.g. The depolarization ratio of backscattered light is being used to study the structure and dynamics of cirrus clouds.)
  • DIAL Lidar (DIfferential Absorbtion Lidar using two wavelengths to determine atmospheric component concentrations by subtraction, e.g ozone.)
  • Doppler Lidar (e.g. Velocity measurement and display of area turbulent winds.)
  • Ranging Lidar (Similar to Radar, e.g. vertical mapping of the the New York City World Trade Center Twin Towers 9/11 site.)

Learn more about the CREST LIDAR Network, click here

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140th St. & Convent Ave.,
New York, NY 10031, USA

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Partners & Affiliates

Our partners and affiliates consist of key players in the scientific and engineering industry that support our endeavors for education and mission.

University of Texas, El-Paso
NOAA NWS
San Diego State University
University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus
Hampton University
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
NOAA NESDIS
Earth Resources Technology, Inc.
University of Wisconsin
NOAA NESDIS STAR
Northrop Grumman
Colorado State University
NOAA
NOAA EPP
The City College of New York
Raytheon Mission Operations Solutions
Columbia University
NOAA NOS