Layers of quasi-horizontally oriented ice crystals in cirrus clouds observed by a two-wavelength polarization lidar.

Layers of quasi-horizontally oriented ice crystals in cirrus clouds are observed by a two-wavelength polarization lidar. These layers of thickness of several hundred meters are identified by three attributes: the backscatter reveals a sharp ridge while the depolarization ratio and color ratio become deep minima. These attributes have been justified by theoretical calculations of these quantities within the framework of the physical-optics approximation.