Performance of Charm-F – the airborne demonstrator for Merlin

In 2015, the new airborne lidarCHARM-F for the measurement of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane was set into operation. It is an integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidardesigned for the use onboardthe German research aircraft HALO. Due to its high technological similarity to the MERLINspace lidar, it is also a demonstrator for the space system. Here, we report on CHARM-F’s technology, the experiences with the IPDA lidarmethod and the achieved performance.