New operational perspective to identify aerosols and hydrometeors in real-time with a pioneering algorithm (CONIOPOL) based on single-wavelength polarization lidar (CL61)

Laffineur, Quentin; Mangold, Alexander; Delcloo, Andy W.

doi:10.5194/amt-19-6415-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 19

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-6415-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-6415-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 19

Research article

|

13 Oct 2026

Research article |

| 13 Oct 2026

New operational perspective to identify aerosols and hydrometeors in real-time with a pioneering algorithm (CONIOPOL) based on single-wavelength polarization lidar (CL61)

Quentin Laffineur, Alexander Mangold, and Andy W. Delcloo

Data sets

CAMS global atmospheric composition forecasts Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service https://doi.org/10.24381/04a0b097

Short summary

CONIOPOL (CONIOlogy + POLarization) is a new algorithm for continuous, real-time classification of aerosols and hydrometeors using a single-wavelength polarization-enabled automatic lidar. Applied to one year of CL61 observations in Belgium, it provides physically consistent aerosol typing and seasonal patterns. Comparisons with CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) and sensitivity tests support its potential for operational monitoring and long-term aerosol climatology.