Convenient method for calibrating system constant of scanning water vapor Raman lidar

Lower tropospheric water vapor measurements are performed at nighttime using the mobile atmosphere monitoring lidar-2 (AML-2) which is operated by the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics. In this lidar system, a 354.7-nm light from a Nd:YAG laser is used as stimulating source, whose Raman shifted center wavelengths are at 386.7 and 407.5 nm for nitrogen and water vapor, respectively. We present a novel and convenient method for determining the Raman lidar calibration constant according to the scanning performance of this lidar. We are likewise able to realize the measurement of water vapor profile in the low troposphere. The error induced by the uncertainty of calibrated constants is within 7% for the Raman lidar system. Experimental results from two months of study indicate that the method of calibrating the lidar system constant is feasible, and the Raman lidar performance is stable and reliable.