Urban Aerosol Optical Properties Measurement by Elastic Counter-Look Lidar

X Wang,C Song,A Boselli,A Sannino,Y He,N Spinelli,B Gross,M Arend,F Moshary

doi:10.1051/epjconf/201611923029

Abstract

The new developed elastic lidar system utilizes two identical elastic lidars, in counter-look configuration, to measure aerosol backscattering and extinction coefficients without any hypotheses. Compared to elastic-Raman lidar and high spectral resolution lidar, the proposed counter-look elastic lidar can use low power eyesafe laser and all available wavelengths. With this prototype lidar system, urban aerosol optical properties and their spatial distribution have been directly measured, including backscatter coefficient, extinction coefficient and lidar ratio. The preliminary results show that the low cost and eye-safe counter-look configured elastic lidar system can be used to measure the aerosol optical properties distribution and give the hint of aerosol type.

Highlights

Lidar systems are widely employed to characterize atmospheric aerosol optical properties
From Lidar signals, it is possible to determine the particles optical and microphysical parameters through the application of inversion algorithms when measurements of both aerosol extinction and backscattering coefficients are available at different wavelengths [1, 2]
Aerosol extinction and backscattering coefficients can be independently measured by Raman lidar or high spectral resolution lidar system [3]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Lidar systems are widely employed to characterize atmospheric aerosol optical properties. The Raman and high spectral resolution lidar technique are hardly to apply to the near infrared, due to the dependence from λ-4 of the cross section of the process. With the aim to characterize the fine particles in the low part of atmospheric, an innovative instrument, patent of CNR (National Council of the Research) and CNISM (National Interuniversity Consortium for the Physical Sciences of Matter), has been proposed [4]. This application can be realized with the simultaneous employment of different wavelengths (from the ultraviolet to the infrared) and the use of low power and cheap laser sources

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS