Wind flow in the Fraser Valley as measured by a pulsed CO{sub 2} Doppler lidar

The Vancouver, British Columbia metropolitan area, with a population close to 1.5 million people, experiences high levels of tropospheric ozone during the summer months. The transport of pollution, including tropospheric ozone, in the Vancouver area, is influenced by a local land/sea breeze circulation, the valley flows associated with the Lower Fraser River Valley to the east of the city, and the complex terrain to the north and northeast of the city. In July and August of 1993, an experiment was conducted in the Vancouver area to assess the distribution and transport of tropospheric ozone. Wind flow and aerosol measurements were obtained with a pulsed CO(sub 2) Doppler lidar and wind fields and their interactions with the complex terrain were mapped. The combination of Doppler lidar measurements of wind velocity and backscattered signal intensity, obtained simultaneously, will help identify wind flow patterns that enhanced the transport of urban pollution from the city of Vancouver to the Lower Fraser River Valley, and the possible recirculation of these pollutants back into Vancouver.