Vertical versus scanning lidar measurements in a horizontally homogeneous atmosphere

Abstract

This study compares the aerosol backscatter and extinction coefficients retrieved from vertical elastic and Raman channels with those derived from measurements with multiangle elastic channels. Retrievals from simulated vertical signals at 355 nm, 387 nm, 532 nm, and 607 nm are compared with those from multiangle measurements (at 15 elevation angles) at 355 nm and 532 nm. The atmosphere is considered horizontally homogeneously stratified. For the backscatter coefficient, the Raman backscatter solution and the multiangle solution are considered. For the extinction coefficient, retrievals from the Raman channel and multiangle measurements are compared. The comparison shows that in the presence of horizontal homogeneity, multiangle measurements provide more reliable results, especially for the aerosol extinction coefficient. The uncertainty in the measured signals is considered in an alternative approach to quantify the relative error of the retrieved profiles with respect to the models (linear regression between retrieval and model).