Lidar methods for observing mineral dust aerosols are reviewed.These methods include Mie scattering lidars,polarization lidars,Raman scattering lidars,high-spectral-resolution lidars,and fluorescence lidars.Some of the lidar systems developed by the authors and the results of the observations and applications are introduced.The largest advantage of the lidar methods is that they can observe vertical distribution of aerosols continuously with high temporal and spatial resolutions.Networks of ground-based lidars provide useful data for understanding the distribution and movement of mineral dust and other aerosols.The lidar network data are actually used for validation and assimilation of dust transport models,which can evaluate emission,transport,and deposition of mineral dust.The lidar methods are also useful for measuring the optical characteristics of aerosols that are essential to assess the radiative effects of aerosols.Evolution of the lidar data analysis methods for aerosol characterization is also reviewed.Observations from space and ground-based networks are two important approaches with the lidar methods in the studies of the effects of mineral dust and other aerosols on climate and the environment.Directions of the researches with lidar methods in the near future are discussed.
