Spectrally resolved Raman lidar measurements of gaseous and liquid water in the atmosphere.

A spectrally resolved Raman lidar based on a tripled Nd:YAG laser is built for measuring gaseous and liquid water in the atmosphere. A double-grating polychromator with a reciprocal linear dispersion of ~0.237 nm mm(-1) is designed to achieve the wavelength separation and the suppression of elastic backscatter. A 32-channel linear-array photomultiplier tube is employed to sample atmospheric Raman water spectrum between 401.65 and 408.99 nm. The lidar-observed Raman water spectrum in the very clear atmosphere is nearly invariable in shape. It is dominated by water vapor, and can serve as background reference for Raman lidar identification of the phase state of atmospheric water under various weather conditions. The lidar has measured also the Raman water spectrum of an aerosol/liquid water layer. The spectrum showed a moderate increase of the signal on both sides of the Q-branch of water vapor. Noting that under clear weather conditions the Raman water spectrum intensity stays at a very low level in the 401.6-404.7 nm range, the Raman water signal in this portion can be used to estimate the liquid water content in the layer.