Yu et al. (2026) Simultaneous Remote Sensing of HD16O/H216O Profile Using Differential Absorption Lidar: A Feasibility Analysis

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-08
• Authors: Saifen Yu, Haiyun Xia
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18020212

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text, as this is a theoretical proposal and analysis.

Short Summary

This paper proposes and theoretically analyzes a novel multi-wavelength differential absorption lidar (DIAL) operating at the 1.5 µm band for simultaneous remote sensing of vertical profiles of H216O, HD16O, and the isotopic ratio δD. The study demonstrates that this system can achieve high-resolution, isotopologue-resolved measurements with low systematic and random errors, enabling reliable retrieval of δD up to 2 km altitude.

Objective

• To propose and theoretically analyze a novel multi-wavelength differential absorption lidar system operating at the 1.5 µm band for the simultaneous remote sensing of vertical profiles of H216O, HD16O, and the isotopic ratio δD.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Vertical profiles up to 2 km altitude with a range resolution of 120 m.
• Temporal Scale: Time resolution of 30 min for simulations of atmospheric backscattered signals.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Theoretical analysis based on the 1976 U.S. Standard atmosphere, considering the temperature dependence of H216O.
• Data sources: Simulations of atmospheric backscattered signals.

Main Results

• The systematic error induced by a +1 K temperature uncertainty within the 2 km altitude is limited to 0.81% for H216O through appropriate absorption line selection.
• Random error remains below 0.16% up to 2 km altitude.
• Simultaneous retrieval errors of mixing ratio profiles at 2 km are:
  • H216O: 0.13 g/kg (3.19%)
  • HD16O: 1.69 × 10−4 g/kg (18.02%)
• The isotopic ratio δD is successfully and reliably retrieved from these measurements.

Contributions

• Proposes a novel multi-wavelength differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system specifically designed for simultaneous, high-resolution, isotopologue-resolved remote sensing of H216O, HD16O, and δD.
• Demonstrates the theoretical feasibility and performance of such a system operating in the 1.5 µm band, which is compatible with mature, commercially available fiber-optic components.
• Provides quantitative error analysis (systematic and random) and retrieval accuracy for H216O, HD16O, and δD profiles up to 2 km.
• Offers essential technical guidance for the practical implementation of future high-resolution, isotopologue-resolved lidar observations in atmospheric science.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Yu2026Simultaneous,
  author = {Yu, Saifen and Zhang, Zhen and Xia, Haiyun},
  title = {Simultaneous Remote Sensing of HD16O/H216O Profile Using Differential Absorption Lidar: A Feasibility Analysis},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18020212},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18020212}
}