Abstract

A ruby lidar with a 52 cm receiver telescope and 64 channel photon counter has been used since 1976 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (47.5°N, 11.0°E), for continuous monitoring of the stratospheric aerosol (Reiter, et al.; refs. 1 and 2.) The usual matching of the lidar return signal (molecular plus particulate backscatter) with the molecular backscatter profile deduced from a radiosonde ascent results in the net particulate backscattering coefficient. The matching level is 25 to 30 km and a correction for a possible deviation of R_min, the minimum measured backscattering coefficient, from unity has not been applied. Scattering ratio (ratio R of total to molecular backscatter), optical mixing ratio (R-1), and particulate backscatter coefficient are the quantities deducable from that single wavelength lidar system.