Simulations of multiply scattered polarized returns of a spaceborne lidar from a model atmosphere consisting of a mixture of molecules, aerosols, and water clouds

Ulrich G. Oppel

doi:10.1117/12.425182

9 April 2001 Simulations of multiply scattered polarized returns of a spaceborne lidar from a model atmosphere consisting of a mixture of molecules, aerosols, and water clouds

Ulrich G. Oppel

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4397, 11th International School on Quantum Electronics: Laser Physics and Applications; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425182
Event: 11th International School on Quantum Electronics: Laser Physics and Applications, 2000, Varna, Bulgaria

Abstract

In lidar remote sensing the classical lidar equation is normally used for the retrieval of environmental parameters from the return signal. One of the most important reasons for this is the simplicity of this equation which describes the contribution of single scattering to the return signal only. But it is well known that multiple scattering occurs in lidar sensing of dense clouds and remote cirrus clouds. Therefore a more precise description of lidar returns is needed. We use a general stochastic model for the description of the transport of light through the atmosphere. This model is a 'corpuscular stochastic multiple scattering process including polarization, and random change of type of scatterers (for fixed wavelength)' which is (under mild conditions) equivalent to a corresponding general radiative transfer equation. From this exact multiple scattering lidar equation a hierarchy of lidar equations including the classical lidar equation may be derived by introducing simplifying assumptions step by step. Of course, more information about the scattering behavior of the scattering particles or molecules of the atmosphere is needed for such an exact multiple scattering equation, but the more input is necessary the more output is possible. Indeed, it is possible to obtain simultaneously quite different environmental parameters (e.g. extinction and size distribution) from one multiply scattered return signal. We show examples of simulations of multiply scattered returns of a spaceborne lidar from an atmosphere consisting of a mixture of molecules, cirrus, water clouds, and haze with a height dependent extinction coefficient for each component.

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Ulrich G. Oppel "Simulations of multiply scattered polarized returns of a spaceborne lidar from a model atmosphere consisting of a mixture of molecules, aerosols, and water clouds", Proc. SPIE 4397, 11th International School on Quantum Electronics: Laser Physics and Applications, (9 April 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425182

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KEYWORDS

LIDAR

Scattering

Atmospheric modeling

Multiple scattering

Particles

Polarization

Clouds

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