Spatial source-area analysis of three-dimensional moisture fields from lidar, eddy covariance, and a footprint model

The Los Alamos National Laboratory scanning Raman lidar was used to measure the three-dimensional moisture field over a salt cedar canopy. A critical question concerning these measurements is; what are the spatial properties of the source region that contributes to the observed three-dimensional moisture field? Traditional methods used to address footprint properties rely on point sensor time-series data and the assumption of Taylor’s hypothesis to transform temporal data into the spatial domain. In this paper, the analysis of horizontal source-area size is addressed from direct lidar-based spatial analysis of the moisture field, eddy covariance co-spectra, and a dedicated footprint model. The results of these analysis techniques converged on the microscale average source region of between 25 and 75 m under ideal conditions. This work supports the concept that the scanning lidar can be used to map small scale boundary layer processes, including riparian zone moisture fields and fluxes.