Aerosol Typing by 3-Wavelength Elastic Lidar Signals Over the Central Mediterranean

Abstract

Elastic lidar signals at 355, 532, and 1064 nm combined with aerosol optical thicknesses (AOTs) from sunphotometer measurements collocated in space and time have been used to retrieve columnar lidar ratio (LR) values at the lidar wavelengths by a constrained iterative inversion procedure. Then, the relationships of LRs with AOTs, Ångström exponents, fine mode fractions (η), and fine mode radii (Rf) have been investigated for the aerosol typing. η and Rf values have been retrieved from a graphical framework. It is shown that the implemented methodology has allowed identifying three main aerosol types over the Central Mediterranean which are designed as urban/industrial, marine-polluted, and mixed-dust. Results on the relationships of LRs with AOTs, Å, η, and Rf for each aerosol type represent main paper results.