Lidar sounding of warm clouds and determination of their microstructure parameters

The information content of lidar returns from warm clouds is investigated u sing a one-parameter model of cloud scattering pattern and the multicompone nt approach to the solution of the radiative transfer equation. A lidar ret urn from a cloud is subdivided into the diffraction and geometrical-optics components formed by the corresponding components of the cloud scattering p attern. It is shown that only the diffraction component depends on paramete rs of cloud microstructure, the efficient radius of cloud droplets being th e most significant parameter in the size distribution of particles. Ways of optimizing parameters are suggested for lidar stations with circular recep tion or lidar stations measuring the angular distribution of brightness in the receiving plane to increase the dependence of receiving signal on the e ffective radius of cloud droplets.