Europe requires space-borne laser instruments that can provide information on the vertical scale of volcanic ash clouds.
Read more at
BBC News – ‘Space laser tech needed’ to measure volcanic ash.
volcanic ash monitoring
SPIEGEL article on volcanic ash monitoring
Atmospheric researchers are able to detect the cloud using a special measuring device that functions a lot like the laser pistols used by police. So-called light detection and ranging systems (Lidar) send laser signals straight up into the sky, which are then reflected back by the airborne particles in the atmosphere, so-called aerosols. Using the lidar signals, scientists can determine the type, dimension and the elevation at which the ash cloud is moving — at least where sensors are in place. Compared to other types of aerosols, ash tends to absorb considerably more light.
For the areas between the Lidar points the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is now using a special aircraft to provide further information. On Monday, a modified Falcon 20E jet, registration D-CMET, took off from Oberpfaffenhofen research center in Bavaria and did a round flight over Leipzig, Hamburg, Cologne and Stuttgart. The aircraft spent three hours at different altitudes. There were two experienced pilots on board the 18-meter long blue and white jet as well as two scientists and a flight mechanic.
via The Scientific Debate over the Flight Ban: ‘The Cloud Smells Like a Steam Engine’
Germany to send up test plane with instruments to measure ash in airspace
Germany was sending up a special flight Monday equipped with a laser capable of testing the amount of volcanic ash in the nation's airspace.
Scientists from the German Aerospace Center have spent days outfitting a special Falcon 20E airplane with instruments that will allow them to measure the concentration of dangerous volcanic ash in the air.
via The Canadian Press.
Swiss lasers map volcanic ash cloud from Iceland
Laser weather technology, originally devised for 3D humidity maps, is the ideal solution for monitoring the volcanic ash cloud, says a top MeteoSwiss official.
via Swiss lasers map volcanic ash cloud from Iceland – swissinfo.
