POLARIZATION LIDAR RETURNS FROM AEROSOLS AND THIN CLOUDS - A FRAMEWORK FOR THE ANALYSIS

Relationships for the interpretation of polarization lidar observation s of aerosols and thin clouds are presented. They allow for the separa tion of contributions to backscatter from solid and liquid phases by t he use of either the classical backscatter and depolarization ratio pa rameters or the particulate cross-polarized polarized backscatter cros s sections. It is shown that different aerosol phases can be better se parated by use of the latter coordinates. Emphasis is placed on the st udy of composition and phase properties of polar stratospheric aerosol s. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.