Performance simulation of a marine atmospheric pollutant detection LiDAR

Atmospheric pollutant poses a direct threat to human health. The prevalent aerosolic particles in the atmosphere can carry and spread various pathogens, endotoxins and allergens, potentially giving rise to allergies and respiratory disorders. Most of the traditional methods for monitoring aerosolic pollution require sampling and analysis at fixed stations, with limited monitoring ranges. Remote monitoring approach based on light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology has offered an alternative way. The transmission attenuation characteristics of laser in the atmosphere is one of the main factors affecting the detection performance of LiDAR. Especially in a high-humidity environment, the effective detection range is notably reduced by the low atmospheric visibility. Here, we introduce a theoretical model for a marine atmospheric pollutant detection LiDAR utilizing both fluorescence and Mie scattering techniques. The MODTRAN software is used to calculate the atmospheric transmittance in a high-humidity environment. The detection performance of the LiDAR system is subsequently simulated and analyzed under various marine atmospheric conditions ranging from coastal to offshore environments by incorporating historical data from the National Meteorological Center of China. The results presented here offer valuable insights into optimizing LiDAR technology for enhanced monitoring of marine atmospheric pollutants.