Lidar research in South Africa

Abstract

Two laser-radar systems in South Africa offer great potential to characterize the region's atmospheric particulate matter and pollutants. Lasers offer great advantages over conventional light sources in terms of peak power and narrow spectral bandwidth. Advancements in both laser and detector technology along with improvements in data-acquisition and analysis techniques have made laser radar or ‘lidar’ (for light detection and ranging) a very reliable tool for active atmospheric remote sensing. Although ground-based lidar systems are routinely used in many developed countries, the technique is still novel for South Africa (and other African countries). Two lidar configurations are currently available in South Africa, located in Pretoria and Durban. They are similar in operation and specifications, thus permitting simultaneous measurements. The Durban device is operated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as a collaborative project with Reunion University and the Service d'Aéronomie of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (France) for climate-research studies. The second device is a mobile lidar system aimed at contributing to atmospheric research in southern Africa, which was recently designed and developed by the National Laser Centre of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa