NASA’s Aeolus Calibration/Validation (Cal/Val) field campaign was conducted to validate measurements from the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-Aeolus) satellite that uses Doppler lidar to measure wind profiles. In addition, Aeolus provides valuable information on aerosols and cloud layer vertical distribution and their optical properties. Based out of Palmdale, CA, the Aeolus Cal/Val campaign conducted five research flights from April 17-30, 2019 over the eastern Pacific Ocean. The goal of Aeolus was to demonstrate the performance of NASA’s Doppler Aerosol WiNd (DAWN) lidar and High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), flown onboard NASA’s DC-8 aircraft, under a wide variety of weather and aerosol conditions and to perform initial comparisons with ADM-Aeolus level 2 measurements. Dropsondes were also deployed during these flights. DAWN is an airborne instrument that uses pulsed lasers at varying scan angles to detect the movement of atmospheric aerosols, such as dust or sea salt, and can profile wind vectors (both speed and direction). HALO uses a combined Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) to profile atmospheric aerosols and water vapor. Aerosol and wind measurements can be paired together to understand the capabilities of DAWN and what its strengths and weaknesses are, and to evaluate ADM-Aeolus’s aerosol and wind measurements.

Aeolus Project Page

Project DOI: 10.5067/SUBORBITAL/AEOLUSCALVAL2019/DATA001