ABSTRACT
An elastic lidar is a lidar system that is based on the elastic scattering, is well developed, and is a very popular lidar system. The definition of elastic scattering is ‘‘scattering with no apparent wavelength change and the sum of Mie scattering and Rayleigh scattering,’’ as explained in Chapter 1. In a typical case, it uses a solid-state laser as a light source. The elastic scattering is unable to identify the gas species. However, it is suitable for the detection of particles (aerosol) and cloud, and in the limiting case of no aerosol, air molecules as the limit of small particles. A relatively compact lidar system is constructed for monitoring the elastic scattering. Particle and cloud are good tracers for the detection of the atmospheric boundary phenomena, and monitoring a cloud and long-range transportation of pollutant and dust in the free troposphere.
In this chapter, an outline of the troposphere by lidar monitoring, the lidar equation and its analytical solution, optical properties of aerosol and air molecules, the lidar system and examples of monitoring, monitoring of optical properties of aerosols, and lidar network monitoring are described.
