Combined sounding of the atmosphere by aerosol and Raman lidars

A combined sounding of the atmosphere was carried out using aerosol and Raman lidars. It was found that in the case of a moderate mist the variations in the echo signal, determined in a time interval of 25 sec, were within the range 3–15%, whereas in the case of a dense mist and during rain such variations reached 50%. An increase in the relative humidity resulted in both an increase and a decrease in the echo signal due to the aerosol scattering. A calculation was made of the coefficients representing mutual correlation of the echo signals with one another and with meteorological parameters. The precision of the recording channel of the aerosol lidar was estimated using the Raman lidar as a control device. It was established that the relative error in the determination of the echo signal by the aerosol lidar was within the range 3–6%.