Reconstruction of the aerosol optical parameters from the data of sensing with a multifrequency Raman lidar

A method of interpreting data of multifrequency Raman lidar sensing is developed. An algorithm for separating aerosol layers with different scattering properties and subsequently estimating the average value of the lidar ratio and Angström parameter within individual layers is suggested. The algorithm allows the error of reconstructing the backscattering coefficient from daytime observations to be at least halved. A well-posed numerical differentiation algorithm for determining the extinction coefficient is suggested for the interpretation of nighttime measurements based on the transformation of the range of allowable values that requires a solution of nonlinear equations. An iterative procedure envisaged for linearization improves the spatial resolution compared with the conventional methods. The methods can be successfully used to process routine lidar measurements under conditions of a priori uncertainty.