Cloud and aerosol research capabilities at FARS: The Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing

Abstract

Since October 1987, the University of Utah Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (FARS) has been applied to the probing of the atmosphere, concentrating on the study of high-level clouds. Regular FARS measurements, which currently total ∼3000 h of ruby lidar polarization data, have been directed toward basic cloud research, remote sensing techniques development, and to improving satellite cloud property retrieval methods and GCM predictions by providing climatologically representative cloud datasets and parameterizations. Although the initial studies involved mainly the ruby lidar, the facility has steadily evolved to include a range of visible, infrared, and microwave passive remote sensors, and state-of-the-art, high-resolution dual-wavelength scanning lidar and W-band Doppler radar systems. All three active systems display polarization diversity. In this paper are reviewed the specifications of FARS instrumentation and the research programs to which they have been applied. Four multiple remote sensor case studies of various cloud systems are presented to illustrate the research capabilities. Like a handful of similar sites elsewhere, such research centers dedicated to extended time observation programs have great potential for contributing to atmospheric monitoring and climate research.