A mobile lidar (light detection and ranging) system for environmental monitoring is described. The optical and electronic systems are housed in a truck with a retractable rooftop transmission and receiving mirror, connected to a 40-cm-diameter vertically looking telescope. Two injection-seeded Nd:YAG lasers are employed in connection with an optical parametric oscillator-optical parametric amplification transmitter, allowing deep-UV to mid-IR wavelengths to be generated. Fast switching that employs piezoelectric drivers allows multiwavelength differential absorption lidar for simultaneous measurements of several spectrally overlapping atmospheric species. The system can also be used in an imaging multispectral laser-induced fluorescence mode on solid targets. Advanced LabVIEW computer control and multivariate data processing render the system versatile for a multitude of measuring tasks. We illustrate the monitoring of industrial atmospheric mercury and hydrocarbon emissions, volcanic sulfur dioxide plume mapping, fluorescence lidar probing of seawater, and multispectral fluorescence imaging of the facades of a historical monument.

Monitoring of free gas embedded in scattering media, such as wood, fruits, and synthetic materials, is demonstrated by use of diode laser spectroscopy combined with sensitive modulation techniques. Gas detection is made possible by the contrast of the narrow absorptive feature of the free-gas molecules with the slow wavelength dependence of the absorption and scattering cross sections in solids and liquids. An absorption sensitivity of $2.5\times {10}^{-4}$, corresponding to a 1.25-mm air column, is demonstrated by measurements of dispersed molecular oxygen. These techniques open up new possibilities for characterization and diagnostics, including internal gas pressure and gas-exchange assessment, in organic and synthetic materials.

What is believed to be the first fluorescence imaging of the facades of a historical building, which was accomplished with a scanning fluorescence lidar system, is reported. The mobile system was placed at a distance of ∼60 m from the medieval Lund Cathedral (Sweden), and a 355-nm pulsed laser beam was swept over the stone facades row by row while spectrally resolved fluorescence signals of each measurement point were recorded. By multispectral image processing, either by formation of simple spectral-band ratios or by use of multivariate techniques, areas with different spectral signatures were classified. In particular, biological growth was observed and different stone types were distinguished. The technique can yield data for use in facade status assessment and restoration planning.

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Effective monitoring of flying insects is of major societal importance in view of the role of insects as indispensable pollinators, destructive disease vectors and economically devastating agricultural pests. The present paper reports on monitoring of flying agricultural pests using a continuous-wave lidar system in a rice-field location in Southern China. Using a Scheimpflug arrangement, range resolution over several 100 m long observational paths was achieved. The system operates with two perpendicularly polarized near-infrared lasers, which are activated intermittently, and back-scattered radiation from insects was recorded by a linear array detector placed after a linear polarizer. Our polarization sensitive system was used to monitor the flying insect diurnal activity and also the influence of changes in weather conditions, e.g., the occurrence of rain. Activity strongly peaked at dusk and rose again, although to a lower extent, just before dawn. At the onset of rainfall, a strong increase in insect counts occurred which was interpreted as the rain-induced bringing down of high-altitude migrant insects.

Flying insects are of utmost importance in ecology and for human living conditions. Certain species serve as indispensable pollinators to ensure the availability of food stuffs, while others are dangerous vectors for spreading deadly diseases, such as malaria. Agricultural pests reduce the yield of crops, and their abatement through pesticides cause many additional problems. Birds and bats are frequently carriers of diseases, which, especially for long‐distance migrants, cause serious consequences. Clearly, there is high motivation to be able to effectively identify and quantify flying fauna. Here, the emerging field of optics and laser‐based monitoring of flying fauna is reviewed with an emphasis on remote sensing based on pulsed and contineous wave (CW) lidar systems, and how they complement existing radar techniques. Furthermore, ground‐truth laboratory studies are covered. Wing‐beat and overtone spectra as well as reflectance, depolarization and fluorescence properties are studied. The aquatic environment is for many reasons less accessible for optical studies, but is clearly also of great importance. Phytoplankton constitute the start of the aquatic food chain, followed by zooplankton and a long chain of higher animals, including fish, an important part of the human food supply. Finally, how optical monitoring can complement sonar and sampling techniques is discussed.