Long-term variation in aerosol lidar ratio in Shanghai based on Raman lidar measurements

Abstract

Abstract. Accurate lidar ratio (LR) and better understanding of its variation characteristics can not only improve the retrieval accuracy of parameters from elastic lidar, but also play an important role in assessing the impacts of aerosols on climate. Using the observational data of a Raman lidar in Shanghai from 2017 to 2019, LRs at 355 nm were retrieved and their variations and influence factors were analyzed. Within the height range of 0.5–5 km, about 90 % of the LRs were distributed in 10–80 sr with an average value of 41.0 ± 22.5 sr, and the LR decreased with the increase in height. The volume depolarization ratio (δ) was positively correlated with LR, and it also decreased with the increase in height, indicating that the vertical distribution of particle shape was one of the influence factors of the variations in LR with height. LR had a strong dependence on the original source of air masses. Affected by the aerosols transported from the northwest, the average LR was the largest, 44.2 ± 24.7 sr, accompanied by the most irregular particle shape. The vertical distribution of LR was affected by atmospheric turbidity, with the greater gradient of LR under clean conditions. The LR above 1 km could be more than 80 sr, when Shanghai was affected by biomass burning aerosols.