Micropulse Lidar (MPL) polarized, fast switching: cloud base and top heights - mplpolfs

The micropulse lidar (MPL) is a ground-based, optical, remote-sensing system designed primarily to determine the altitude of clouds; however, it is also used for detection of atmospheric aerosols. The physical principle is the same as for radar. Pulses of energy are transmitted into the atmosphere; the energy scattered back to the transceiver is collected and measured as a time-resolved signal, thereby detecting clouds and aerosols in real time. \n \nFrom the time delay between each outgoing pulse and the backscattered signal, the distance to the scatterer is inferred. Post-processing of the lidar return characterizes the extent and properties of aerosols or other particles in a region.

微脉冲激光雷达（micropulse lidar, MPL）是一种地基光学遥感系统，其主要设计用途为测定云层高度，同时也可用于大气气溶胶的探测。该系统的物理原理与雷达一致：向大气发射能量脉冲，收集并测量后向散射至收发机的能量，将其作为时间分辨信号进行记录，从而实现云层与气溶胶的实时探测。
通过每一个发射脉冲与后向散射信号之间的时间延迟，可以推算出散射源与观测点的距离。对激光雷达回波信号进行后处理，即可表征目标区域内气溶胶或其他颗粒物的分布范围与物理特性。