Experiments in the atmospheres of Earth and Mars

这项研究包括使用激光来研究地球和火星的大气。基本方法是激光向大气发射光脉冲，后向散射光将被记录为时间的函数，或等效距离。激光后向散射的垂直剖面按时间顺序记录下来，这提供了一个连续的尘埃和云层漂移过去的视图。这项技术被称为激光雷达，用于光探测和测距。这项研究计划由四个独立的项目组成。主要项目包括在即将登陆火星的航天器上安装激光雷达系统。凤凰号将于2007年8月发射，2008年5月着陆。激光雷达将用于研究火星大气中决定气候和水运动的大气过程。其他项目包括在地球大气层中的飞机上进行测量，以观察雷暴的影响。其中一个项目涉及研究热带雷暴在将水输送到高海拔地区和影响气候方面所起的作用。另一个项目将调查加拿大北部森林火灾上空形成的一种不同类型的雷暴，并将污染注入平流层。第四个项目的重点是安大略省南部的雷暴及其对当地空气质量和远距离污染运输的影响。

This research involves using lasers to study the atmospheres of Earth and Mars. The basic method is that the laser will emit pulses of light into the atmosphere and the backscattered light will be recorded as a function of time, or equivalently distance. Vertical profiles of laser backscatter are recorded sequentially in time and this provides a continuous view of the dust and cloud layers that drift past. This technique is called lidar, for light detection and ranging. The research program consists of four separate projects. The main project involves a lidar system on a spacecraft that will land on Mars. This is the Phoenix mission that will be launched in August 2007 and land in May 2008. The lidar will be used to investigate the atmospheric processes that determine the climate and movement of water within the Martian atmosphere. The other projects involve measurements from airplanes in the atmosphere of the Earth to observe the effects of thunderstorms. One of these projects concerns studying the role that tropical thunderstorms play in transporting water to very high altitudes and influencing the climate. Another project will investigate a different type of thunderstorm that forms above forest fires in the north of Canada and injects pollution into the stratosphere. The forth project is focused on thunderstorms in southern Ontario and the effect on local air quality and long range pollution transport.