Abstract
Abstract. For the first time, vertical profiles of the 1064 nm particle extinction coefficient obtained from Raman lidar observations at 1058 nm (nitrogen and oxygen rotational Raman backscatter) are presented. We applied the new technique in the framework of test measurements and performed several cirrus observations of particle backscatter and extinction coefficients, and corresponding extinction-to-backscatter ratios at the wavelengths of 355, 532, and 1064 nm. The cirrus backscatter coefficients were found to be equal for all three wavelengths keeping the retrieval uncertainties in mind. The multiple-scattering-corrected cirrus extinction coefficients at 355 nm were on average about 20–30 % lower than the ones for 532 and 1064 nm. The cirrus-mean extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) was 31 ± 5 sr (355 nm), 36 ± 5 sr (532 nm), and 38 ± 5 sr (1064 nm) in this single study. We further discussed the requirements needed to obtain aerosol extinction profiles in the lower troposphere at 1064 nm with good accuracy (20 % relative uncertainty) and appropriate temporal and vertical resolution.
Highlights
Routine, height-resolved observations of the particle extinction coefficient in the atmosphere are only possible with lidar (Ansmann and Müller, 2005)
Two different lidar techniques are available for the measurement of aerosol and cloud extinction profiles, the Raman lidar method (Ansmann et al, 1990, 1992a; Ansmann and Müller, 2005) and the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) technique (Shipley et al, 1983; Grund and Eloranta, 1990; Hair et al, 2001; Eloranta, 2005)
We concluded that efficient photon detection is required to obtain aerosol extinction and lidar-ratio profiles with 10–20 % relative uncertainty, 1 h temporal resolution, and vertical resolution of 750 m
Summary
Height-resolved observations of the particle extinction coefficient in the atmosphere are only possible with lidar (Ansmann and Müller, 2005). Particle extinction profiling is a basic requirement for a successful retrieval of microphysical aerosol properties by means of inversion methods (Müller et al, 1998; Müller et al, 2000; Müller et al, 2013; Ansmann and Müller, 2005; Veselovskii et al, 2002, 2016). It remained an open issue throughout the years to measure the aerosol extinction coefficient at 1064 nm. The potential of the new method to allow for aerosol extinction profiling in the lower troposphere with appropriate temporal and vertical resolution and accuracy is discussed
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