https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201611927007
From Operational Ceilometer Network to Operational Lidar Network
1 Observations branch, Met Office, Exeter, Devon EX1 3PB, United Kingdom
2 Weather Science branch, Met Office, Exeter, Devon EX1 3PB, United Kingdom
* Email: mariana.adam@metoffice.gov.uk
Published online: 7 June 2016
During the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, the Met Office ceilometers (Laser Cloud Based Recorders - LCBR) provided reasonable information about volcanic ash plumes over the United Kingdom [1]. This capability triggered the development of an operational system to provide quick looks of the range corrected signals (RCS) in near-real-time (NRT). Moreover, the Met Office acquired eleven Jenoptik ceilometers to supplement the operational ceilometer network. The combined network became operational in 2012 and currently comprises a total of 43 ceilometers reporting backscatter profiles in NRT. In 2013, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Department for transport (DfT) sponsored the acquisition of 9 fixed lidars and one mobile unit (each accompanied by a sunphotometer), to further improve the quantitative monitoring of volcanic ash. The current status of both ceilometer and lidar/sun-photometer networks is discussed and further developments are proposed.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2016
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
