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An Aerosol Extinction-to-Backscatter Ratio Database Derived from the NASA Micro-Pulse Lidar Network: Applications for Space-based Lidar ObservationsBackscatter lidar signals are a function of both backscatter and extinction. Hence, these lidar observations alone cannot separate the two quantities. The aerosol extinction-to-backscatter ratio, S, is the key parameter required to accurately retrieve extinction and optical depth from backscatter lidar observations of aerosol layers. S is commonly defined as 4*pi divided by the product of the single scatter albedo and the phase function at 180-degree scattering angle. Values of S for different aerosol types are not well known, and are even more difficult to determine when aerosols become mixed. Here we present a new lidar-sunphotometer S database derived from Observations of the NASA Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET). MPLNET is a growing worldwide network of eye-safe backscatter lidars co-located with sunphotometers in the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). Values of S for different aerosol species and geographic regions will be presented. A framework for constructing an S look-up table will be shown. Look-up tables of S are needed to calculate aerosol extinction and optical depth from space-based lidar observations in the absence of co-located AOD data. Applications for using the new S look-up table to reprocess aerosol products from NASA's Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) will be discussed.
Document ID
20040171529
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Welton, Ellsworth J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Campbell, James R.
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. United States)
Spinhime, James D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Berkoff, Timothy A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Holben, Brent
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Tsay, Si-Chee
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bucholtz, Anthony
(Naval Research Lab. Monterey, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 22, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2004 Fall AGU Meeting
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: December 13, 2004
End Date: December 17, 2004
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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