Middle East versus Saharan dust extinction-to-backscatter ratios
Four years (2010–2013) of observations with polarization lidar and sun/sky photometer at the combined European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site of Limassol (34.7° N, 33° E), Cyprus, were used to compare extinction-to-backscatter ratios (lid...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2015-06-01
|
| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/15/7071/2015/acp-15-7071-2015.pdf |
| Summary: | Four years (2010–2013) of observations with polarization lidar and
sun/sky photometer at the combined European Aerosol Research Lidar
Network (EARLINET) and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site of
Limassol (34.7° N, 33° E), Cyprus, were used to
compare extinction-to-backscatter ratios (lidar ratios) for desert
dust from Middle East deserts and the Sahara. In an earlier article, we analyzed one case only
and found comparably low lidar ratios < 40 sr for Middle East dust. The complex data
analysis scheme is presented. The quality of the retrieval is
checked within a case study by comparing the results with respective
Raman lidar solutions for particle backscatter, extinction, and
lidar ratio. The applied combined lidar/photometer retrievals
corroborate recent findings regarding the difference between Middle
East and Saharan dust lidar ratios. We found values from
43–65 sr with a mean (±standard deviation) of 53 ± 6 sr for Saharan
dust and from 33–48 sr with a mean of 41 ± 4 sr
for Middle East dust for the wavelength of 532 nm. The presented data analysis, however, also
demonstrates the difficulties in identifying the optical properties
of dust even during outbreak situations in the presence of complex
aerosol mixtures of desert dust, marine particles, fire smoke, and
anthropogenic haze. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |