使用微脉冲激光雷达增强全球航空安全性

Sigma太空人员

Volcanic ash is a recurring impediment to normal air-traffic operations in Europe, Asia and South America due to potential jet engine damage caused by the razor-sharp particles in dense ash plumes.

一个著名的例子是2010年爆发的Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland that shut-down air traffic throughout Western Europe for seven days, with intermittent closings necessary as new ash plumes continued to enter the European airspace. More than 300 airports were closed, 100,000 flights were cancelled, and 10 million passengers were impacted. This economic disaster prompted research organizations to place more emphasis on developing effective volcanic ash monitoring systems.

航空的气溶胶检测网络的评估

To address the need for better information about volcanic ash events, the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) asked Météo-France (MF), the French national meteorological service, to focus on the ash issue. MF set out to确定提供有关从地面到最低12公里高度的火山颗粒大小和浓度的准确信息的最佳方法.

The subsequent research efforts included the following activities:

• Tracking plumes of volcanic ash or dust through the atmosphere

• Understanding local air quality

• Providing warnings to air traffic controllers, meteorologists, and industrial sites related to aerosol events

During the summer of 2012, using desert dust as a proxy, MF collected data provided by several LiDAR sensors and ceilometers and in-situ measurements using balloon-borne particle counters and aircraft sensors to assess their effectiveness in tracking aerosols.

Using various sensors and the associated location of the instruments, numerical weather predictions (NWP) were used to预测不同的天气天气，考虑以下因素：

• 主航线附近

• Coverage of the Atlantic coast for ash coming from Iceland and the Mediterranean Sea emitted by the Italian volcanoes

• 对Mocage（ModéleDeChimie Ambertique de Grande Echelle）的影响，法国化学物种传输模型

网络研究点至minimpl的结果

After MF’s initial evaluation, several network designs were studied to determine which one provides the best cost/ benefit ratio. Based on criteria of cost and robustness, MF bought sixSigma Space MiniMPL LiDAR sensors.

“We decided to place five of the MiniMPL in fixed locations at Lille, Trappes, Brest, Momuy and Aleria,”研究与开发工程师MétéofranceJeanluc Lampin说。“The sixth MiniMPL is being kept as a mobile lidar. In case of an ash event, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre will decide the best place to deploy in terms of the atmospheric circulation and the location of the plume to obtain the best coverage.”

将来，库存将添加其他MPL，以扩大覆盖范围并开发全面的全国网络。

Minimpl提供了对航空安全至关重要的新大气细节

MF’s 3,100 employees are focused on developing the infrastructure and leading-edge technologies necessary to collect meteorological observations for a better understanding of the current atmospheric state. Atmospheric studies are critical for safe airport operations.

为了改善全球和区域的天气建模和预测，MF运营着具有可重新支配的移动组件的气溶胶激光雷达传感器网络，用于火山灰预警和检测。

最小值自动的能力测量去极化makescharacterizing aerosol types feasible for researchers.

“The MiniMPL network is performing very well for MétéoFrance,”said Yunhui Zheng, director of optical engineering at Sigma Space.“By continuously monitoring the atmosphere with a network of depolarization LiDAR sensors, possible air-traffic interruptions due to volcanic ash or major dust events can be prevented or mitigated.”

minimpl使用激光器range up to 15 km, as well as dual polarization. The dual polarization backscatter measurements allow for very high accuracy — better than 0.7 per cent. This data enables authorities to区分纯净水云的发生以及火山灰羽，灰烬/水云混合物和灰分浓度剖面. All measurement data is analysed and reported in seconds.

Elevating Atmospheric Monitoring

Micro Pulse LiDAR (MPL) instruments, designed by Sigma Space, help scientists, meteorologists and air quality professionals monitor aerosols to better understand the structure of our atmosphere.

MPL’s long-range capabilities and high-quality signal increase efficiency and accuracy of the data capture process for improved atmospheric monitoring. Originally designed for NASA, MPL uses eye-safe lasers, precision photon counting, and built-in data analysis to deliver the best signal-to-noise ratio and thus the most reliable information in this category.

Sigma Space是Hexagon（NAS亚搏苹果appDAQ Stockholm：Hexa b;Hexagon。Com）的一部分，这是全球领先的信息技术提供商，可在地理空间和工业企业应用程序中提高质量和生产率的提高。

有关更多信息，请访问：www.micropulselidar.com