Resumen de Particle depolarization ratio profiling over the southwestern Iberia Peninsula during Saharan dust outbreaks

S. Pereira, J. L. Guerrero Rascado, D. Bortoli, J. Preißler, A.M. Silva, F. Wagner

• The development of multi-wavelength Raman lidars with polarization capabilities was one important step for improving the vertically-resolved characterization of mineral dust particles, which are typically characterized by their irregular shape (i.e. non-spherical). Thus they can change significantly the polarization state of the emitted laser beam; in that case, a backscattered signal, which is no longer linearly polarized (rather elliptical), is detected. The particle linear depolarization ratio, δP, is the parameter which quantifies this change in the polarization state due to particles.