This study aimed to demonstrate the applicability of LiDAR as an advanced remote sensing instrument by analyzing variations in aerosol optical properties, evaluating the reliability of geostationary environmental satellite retrieval products, and exam...
This study aimed to demonstrate the applicability of LiDAR as an advanced remote sensing instrument by analyzing variations in aerosol optical properties, evaluating the reliability of geostationary environmental satellite retrieval products, and examining the feasibility of quantitatively estimating high-concentration emission plumes using LiDAR observations. To achieve this, (1) long-term variations in mass extinction efficiency (MEE) were analyzed using AD-Net LiDAR observations and PM mass concentration data, (2) aerosol effective height (AEH) products from GEMS were validated based on AD-Net LiDAR measurements, and (3) uncertainties in high-concentration plume concentration retrieval were assessed using a mobile horizontal scanning LiDAR system. The results quantitatively confirmed that changes in fine-particle size characteristics, reflected by increases in PM2.5 MEE and the Ångström exponent, contributed to the weakened improvement in visibility. In addition, the influences of aerosol type and the presence of upper-level clouds on GEMS AEH retrieval errors were clearly identified. Furthermore, the feasibility of estimating concentrations of high-concentration industrial plumes and the associated uncertainties arising from parameter settings were quantitatively evaluated using the mobile scanning LiDAR system. These findings demonstrate that LiDAR is a core observational tool with broad applicability for air quality monitoring, emission rate estimation, and satellite product validation. The results further suggest that LiDAR-based analyses can provide reliable scientific support for the development of integrated air quality monitoring systems in the future.