Orbiting lidar simulations. 2: Density, temperature, aerosol, and cloud measurements by a wavelength-combining...

A technique is described for combining several wavelength backscatter measurements to yield profiles of molecular density and temperature plus aerosol and cloud backscatter with associated error-bar profiles. Error sources include signal, transmission, calibration, conventional density, lidar density normalization, temperature or pressure estimation at a reference height, and backscatter wavelength-dependence estimation. Strong particulate contamination limits the technique to the cloud-free upper troposphere and above. Error bars automatically returned as part of the measurement show when such contamination occurs. Relative density (temperature) profiles have rms errors of 0.5-2% (1.2-2.5 K) in the nonvolcanic stratosphere and upper troposphere. The density profiles significantly improve aerosol retrievals. The fine vertical resolution of the temperature profiles would permit defining the tropopause to approximately 0.5 km and higher wave structures to 1 or 2 km.