Significance of the extinction/backscatter ratio and the boundary value term in the solution for the two-component lidar equation

Klett (1981) has obtained a stable inversion solution for the optical radar equation. Fernald (1982) considered a solution for the two-component optical radar equation (including aerosol and molecular terms) in a more general form. He found that this solution can be highly sensitive to errors in the aerosol extinction/backscatter ratio and the boundary value at the calibration level. The present investigation is concerned with the characteristics of this solution and the dependence of its accuracy upon the extinction/backscatter ratio and the boundary value.