1.645 µm differential absorption lidar measurements of atmospheric methane using an Er:YAG laser

Abstract. A differential absorption lidar (DIAL) based on an Er:YAG laser was used to retrieve methane concentration profiles within the mixed layer along a near-horizontal line of sight (4° above the horizontal) from the École Polytechnique site, directed northward toward the western part of the city of Paris. The achieved precision remains below 1 % up to a range of 3.5 km for profiles with a spatio-temporal resolution of 470 m / 20 min. The measurements were compared with in situ observations from an ICOS site located 5 km from the lidar. The lidar successfully captured the late stage of the dispersion of a methane plume originating from a fire occurred at a waste-sorting facility in the city of Paris, in good agreement with the in situ measurements. Both random and systematic errors in the lidar measurements are dominated by uncertainties in the ON wavelength measurement.