Detection of stratospheric sulfuric acid aerosols with polarization lidar:theory, simulations, and observations

The derivation of backscatter ratio profiles from polarization lidar measur ements is discussed. The method is based on differences in depolarization b etween molecular backscattering and backscattering from spherical aerosol p articles. Simulations show that the polarization algorithms yield backscatt er ratios with uncertainties comparable with those obtained by Klett's meth od, provided that the backscattering process is dominated by molecular scat tering. The technique could be utilized for monitoring the stratospheric su lfuric acid aerosol layer during periods of background conditions. The pola rization analysis method is discussed in light of simulation results and is applied to polarization lidar profiles observed during the ALBATROSS 1996 field measurement campaign. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 010.1100, 010.1310, 010.3640, 280.1100, 280.3640, 290.1350.