Polarization in Lidar: A review

This paper reviews the history and applications of the laser backscatter depolarization technique for atmospheric remote sensing. A relatively simple method, polarization diversity was among the earliest laser-radar (lidar) applications tested in the field, and soon proved to be uniquely suited for the study of the shape and orientation of hydrometeors, and hence the discrimination of water and ice clouds. More recent research has focused on atmospheric aerosols and the exotic clouds of the middle atmosphere, and on enhancing the information content of observations from lidars based on more sophisticated technologies. Various findings from polarization lidar research will be presented.