eVADE: Volcanic Ash Detection Raman LIDAR

Volcanic ash is a significant hazard to aircraft engine and electronics and has caused damage to unwary aircraft and disrupted air travel for thousands of travelers, costing millions of dollars. Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) proposes to demonstrate the concept feasibility of a Raman Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system to obtain real-time information from volcanic ash clouds and other aerosols, to be named eVADE (Volcanic Ash DEtection Raman LIDAR). The instrumentation will also be suitable for atmospheric dust transport measurements. Atmospheric dust plays a significant role in climate modeling; unlike volcanic ash that reflects the solar heating back into the upper atmosphere, dust absorbs the heat locally and causes heating of the troposphere. eVADE will be designed to operate from an airborne platform (manned or unmanned), and as such, will be compact and light weight.