Effects of systematic polarization errors on the retrieval of high-spectral-resolution lidar

Abstract

High-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) can obtain vertical profile optical properties of clouds and aerosols with high accuracy, serving as a potent tool for studying the impact of aerosols on the environment. However, the optical properties such as particle linear depolarization ratio and lidar ratio detected by polarized HSRL are all subject to systematic polarization errors. In this paper, we focus on the polarization-related optimization of the polarized HSRL system developed at Zhejiang University. Simulation analysis based on Mueller–Stokes formalism shows that the errors of particle linear depolarization ratio and lidar ratio of typical aerosols caused by polarization systematic errors are less than 2% after optimization. To validate the accuracy of the HSRL detection results, observational experiments were conducted. Satisfactory consistency was achieved in comparison with the in-situ instrument and the sunphotometer. During the observations in Beijing, a dust aerosol stratification event was record and analyzed, furthering our understanding of the contribution of dust aerosol to the environment.