Fluorescent lidar for organic aerosol study

The paper describes the fluorescent lidar created for monitoring of the atmosphere and for estimating the content of fluorescent components of organic aerosol. The lidar operation is based on the use of ultraviolet radiation of harmonics of Nd:YAG solid state laser for exciting the atmospheric fluorescence and the spectral analysis of the atmospheric fluorescence is used in the near ultraviolet and blue spectral range with the resolution of 2 nm. The lidar was found to be efficient for remote analysis of organic aerosol occurring as a result of vegetation emission of secondary metabolites to the atmosphere. Fluorescence spectra processing allows us to select some organic compounds, which molecules contain 7 and more carbon atoms. Taking into account the availability of interconnection between organic aerosol and vegetation, in lidar the second harmonic of Nd:YAG laser is also used for exciting the fluorescence of vegetation covers. In this case the receiving system detects the fluorescence of vegetation in the red spectral range conditioned by the chlorophyll of vegetation. Simultaneous detection of the fluorescence from the atmosphere and from vegetation makes it possible to obtain data on the interaction of the atmosphere and underlying surface covered by vegetation. It has been found that a disruption in the vegetation feeding or the impact of pollutions on vegetation resulted in a sharp increase of the fluorescence intensity of vegetation chlorophyll in the red spectral range and in the simultaneous appearance of organic aerosol in the atmosphere adjacent to vegetation in the region of negative impact.