Error Accumulation and Transfer Effects of the Retrieved AerosolBackscattering Coefficient Caused by Lidar Ratios

Abstract

The errors in retrieved aerosol backscattering coefficients due to different lidar ratios are analyzed quantitatively in this paper. The actual calculation shows that the inversion error of the aerosol backscattering coefficients using the Fernald backward-integration method increases with increasing inversion distance. The greater the error in the lidar ratio, the faster the error in the aerosol backscattering coefficient increases. For the same error in lidar ratio, the smaller actual aerosol backscattering coefficient will get the larger relative error of the retrieved aerosol backscattering coefficient. The errors in the lidar ratios for dust or the cirrus layer have great impact on the retrievals of backscattering coefficients. The interval between the retrieved height and the reference range is one of the important factors for the derived error in the aerosol backscattering coefficient, which is revealed quantitatively for the first time in this paper. The conclusions of this article can provide a basis for error estimation in retrieved backscattering coefficients of background aerosols, dust and cirrus layer. The errors in the lidar ratio of an aerosol layer influence the retrievals of backscattering coefficients for the aerosol layer below it.