Reflections on potential applications of LiDAR for in-situ observations of high-rise buildings during typhoons: Focusing on wind-driven rain and windborne debris

Debris from extreme wind conditions poses a significant threat to buildings, which has been investigated primarily through wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations. Recently, researchers have explored the feasibility and potential of coherent Doppler LiDAR (CDL) for detecting precipitation and observing windborne debris. CDL employs the optical Doppler shift principle to measure radial velocities several kilometers above the ground and offers higher spatial and temporal resolution than traditional methods. It provides accurate measurements across various heights and distances, comprehensive atmospheric parameter information, and three-dimensional atmospheric distributions. The CDL is also easy to install and supports long-term continuous monitoring. Traditional wind tunnel experiments face challenges in accurately simulating turbulence and addressing scaling issues under real atmospheric conditions. Similarly, numerical simulations are limited by high computational cost. The CDL can provide reliable data effectively comparing with the above methods, thus promoting the development of this field. In addition, LiDAR can work in harsh environments, such as typhoon, thunderstorm weather, etc. Nevertheless, CDL methods face challenges, such as fast signal attenuation under rainy conditions and limited observation distance. Future advancements in CDL technology and data processing are anticipated to enhance the measurement accuracy of wind-driven rain and debris impacting high-rise buildings.