The AROL-2 lidar, a portable, ground-based, zenith-viewing lidar that uses a 100mJ, 20 Hz pulsed 2xNd:YAG laser transmitter, is located in the SDL observatory. AROL-2 detects the passage of clouds and aerosols by sending out short pulses of laser light that are then scattered back to the lidar’s telescope by layers of dust, haze and clouds. Portable and hermetically sealed, AROL-2 has been used for joint meteorology campaigns with NASA. The laser can be seen at night as a vertical green beam sweeping the sky in a conical pattern. The AROL-2:

Is sensitive enough to detect the aerosol structures in the troposphere and lower stratosphere
Has demonstrated the ability of non-Doppler LIDAR systems to measure profiles of wind velocity and direction over a wide range of altitude, and to do so under field campaign conditions
Continues to probe the lower atmosphere, producing spectacular images of the boundary layer and cirrus clouds as various atmospheric phenomena pass over the Bear Lake Observatory region
Will serve as a calibration instrument for future satellite instruments as they observe atmospheric properties over Utah and the Rocky Mountain West