Procedure for retrieval of atmospheric aerosol backscatter coefficient profiles from results of multi-wavelength lidar sounding

A measurement procedure is proposed to retrieve the profiles of atmospheric aerosol backscatter coefficients (βa) from the results of multi-wavelength sounding of the atmosphere by a laser location system based on a Nd: YAG-laser. The procedure uses a regression dependence between spectral values of βa (background aerosol model) and involves the determination of coefficients which characterize the relative spectral behavior of aerosol extinction. The stability of the procedure to spatial variations of the above coefficients, a deviation of βa from the dependence used, and calibration and measurement errors is examined. This procedure is compared with the widely used Fernald method by means of a numeric experiment. This procedure is demonstrated to be effective for retrieving vertical profiles of β a in the troposphere, especially in the short-wavelength region.