Abstract

Measurements of geometrical and optical properties of the stratospheric aerosol layer have been performed at GKSS Research Center in North Germany (53.5 °N, 10.5 °E) since August 1991. A combined Raman elastic-backscatter lidar with a 308-nm XeCl excimer laser as the radiation source is used. It allows the separate, independent determination of the particle extinction coefficient (from the nitrogen Raman signal profile, Ref. 1) and the particle backscatter coefficient (Rom the elastic-backscatter-to-Raman signal ratio, Ref. 2). Thus, also the extinction-to-backscatter, or lidar, ratio is determined. It provides information about the size range of the stratospheric sulfuric acid droplets. Measurements of the lidar ratio are of importance also for the calculation of the aerosol optical depth from elastic backscatter signals using the Klett method (Ref. 3).

© 1991 Optical Society of America