The essential information required for the analysis of Raman lidar water vapor and aerosol data acquired by use of a single laser wavelength is compiled here and in a companion paper
Appl. Opt. 42, 2593 2003. Various details concerning the evaluation of the lidar equations when Raman scattering is measured are covered. These details include the influence of the temperature dependence of both pure
rotational and vibrational–rotational Raman scattering on the lidar profile. The full temperature dependence of the Rayleigh–Mie and Raman lidar equations are evaluated by use of a new form of the lidar equation where all the temperature dependence is carried in a single term. The results indicate that, for the range of temperatures encountered in the troposphere, the magnitude of the temperature dependent effect can reach 10% or more for narrowband Raman water-vapor measurements. Also, the calculation of atmospheric transmission, including the effects of depolarization, is examined carefully. Various formulations of Rayleigh cross-section determination commonly used in the lidar field are
compared and reveal differences of as much as 5% among the formulations. The influence of multiple scattering on the measurement of aerosol extinction with the Raman lidar technique is considered, as are several photon pulse pileup-correction techniques.