Determination of atmospheric structures , aerosol optical properties and particle type with the R-MAN 510 Raman dual polarizationlidar super ceilometer

The R-MAN510 is a new Raman dual polarized lidar super ceilometer which combines the benefits of bothceilometer (low cost and high repetition rate) and lidar systems (low overlap and high measurement range). Thisautomatic and stand-alone ultraviolet lidar (at 355 nm) has been especially designed for network applicationswith a low-maintenance diode-pumped laser. This lidar is composed of three detection channel for the elastic coandcross-polarizations and one for the nitrogen Raman backscattered signal at 387 nm. The elastic channels are used for the detection of atmospheric structures (Planetary Boundary Layer and residual layer heights, aerosol andcloud layers) with a gradient method. The perpendicular channel is used for the retrieval of particle depolarizationratio which gives an additional information on aerosol shape and sphericity. It is thus possible to highlight dustaerosols (desert dusts, volcanic ashes,...) and ice crystals in high altitude cirrus cloud which are characterized byhigh depolarization values. The nitrogen Raman channel of the lidar is crucial for the constraint of the elasticchannel and the accurate retrieval (uncertainty lower than 10%) of aerosol optical properties (aerosol extinctionand backscatter coefficients, extinction-tobackscatter ratio). This is an essential point as a reliable extinctioncoefficient profile is needed for the assessment of volcanic ash concentrations. By combining information onatmospheric structures and optical properties it is possible to discriminate and to classify aerosol (dusts, volcanicashes, sea salt, continental pollution) and cloud layers (low, middle, high clouds). We will present here the first results obtained with this new commercial lidarsystem. The lidar capabilities and performances are discussed according to atmospheric conditions.