The LiDAR ceilometer fires rapid pulses of laser light upward and a sensor on the instrument measures the amount of time it takes for reflections from thousands of dust particles, illuminated by each pulse, to bounce back. The LiDAR instrument calculates the distance and movement of each particle with high accuracy in quick succession, enabling the instrument to generate a complex ‘map’ of turbulent air motion in the lower atmosphere up to 3000 meters.
