• One of the primary advantages of lidar over Doppler radars like the WSR-88D is the increase in resolution.  Lidar data resolution is much better than data from the 88-D in both the radial and azimuthal direction.
• Accordingly, lidars are well suited to study boundary layer phenomena.  
• Because of the short wavelength of the radiation they transmit, lidars well suited to study aerosols in the boundary layer, free troposphere, and the stratosphere.
• They are also capable of measuring concentrations of trace gases such as ozone and water vapor
• Lidars are also very mobile.  They have been placed and used on aircraft and ships in addition to ground-based units.

There at least two types of lidars out there that perform a large number of functions.  We will discuss two basic types of lidars:

1. High Resolution Spectral Lidar (HSRL)
2. DIAL (Differential Absorption Lidar)