FIFE: NOAA Doppler LIDAR Wind Profiles from 1987

Pulsed Doppler LIDAR measured radial wind velocity and aerosol profiles above 500 meters during a two-week period in June and July 1987. Data from the FIFE study area compares LIDAR-derived wind profiles and momentum fluxes with airborne and balloon sonde measurements. The VAD technique was used to obtain unsmoothed profiles, offering simultaneous flow parameter measurements at multiple heights in the planetary boundary layer.

Use Cases

• Comparing LIDAR and airborne measurements of mean wind and turbulent structure based on the study's primary objective.
• Analyzing vertical profiles of wind and aerosol concentration using the LIDAR's range-resolved backscatter data.
• Studying momentum and heat fluxes in the planetary boundary layer from the derived profile data.
• Validating the VAD technique for wind retrieval against traditional balloon sonde profiles.

Strengths

• Provides simultaneous wind and aerosol profile measurements at multiple heights, enabled by the remote-sensing LIDAR.
• Data collection is anchored to a specific, well-documented field campaign (FIFE) and time period (two weeks in June-July 1987).
• Cross-validates measurements from three independent platforms: LIDAR, aircraft, and balloon sondes.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and specific file sizes are unknown across all platforms.
• The LIDAR only operates above 500 meters, so the wind profile does not include the surface layer near the ground.
• Profiles occasionally contain gaps, especially when extending to several kilometers, and data points are unsmoothed.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), using NOAA/Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) Doppler LIDAR.

Collection Method

Remote sensing via pulsed Doppler LIDAR using the VAD (Velocity Azimuth Display) technique, with supporting data from aircraft and balloon sondes.

Time Range

June to July 1987 (a two-week period).

Freshness

Metadata was last updated on datagov in 2026, but the underlying data is from 1987.

Geography

One location near the center of the FIFE study area in the northwest quadrant (likely Kansas, USA).