This thesis describes an investigation of, and improvements to, the microphysical modelling of aerosols in the Oxford-Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Aerosol and Clouds retrieval (ORAC), which is used to obtain aerosol properties from measurements by the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR). Modelling decisions determine the light scattering properties of the aerosol classes which in turn alter the retrieved aerosol properties: aerosol optical depth, and effective radius. The maritime, mineral dust, urban, and biomass burning aerosol classes were first investigated, and then improvements implemented. Major additions to the scheme include the ability to model non-spherical dust as spheroids, soot as fractal aggregates, and to coat spherical particles with an extra layer of differing refractive index (whose thickness can be modified by ambient relative humidity where necessary). Output from aerosol retrievals containing these new models is presented. Modelling of marine aerosol was found to be adequate, but an improvement in the relative humidity assumptions led to an average 5 % increase in aerosol optical depth (AOD). Modelling of mineral dust aerosols has been dramatically altered by the addition of non-spherical dust and hygroscopic particles, leading to increases in measured AOD of over 100 % during dust events, compared to the previous model. Measurement of biomass burning aerosol has been tested with an `ageing' aerosol scheme, leading to increases in over-land measured AOD of 0.14 (~50 % increase). With such significant changes in AOD, representation of aerosol light scattering properties is seen to be important factor in the accuracy of the ORAC scheme. Finally, a method of optimising the placement of detectors in an aerosol measurement device is presented.

Les particules fines atmosphériques de taille nanométrique ont un effet important sur la qualité de l’air, le climat et la santé. Si l’effet est reconnu, la mesure quantitative de ces impacts reste un enjeu majeur. Les difficultés à surmonter sont reliées à la forte inhomogénéité des particules, tant sur la distribution spatio-temporelle de leur concentration que sur leur morphologie et leur taille. Le développement des méthodes de mesure optique à distance non invasives telles que le Lidar (Light Detection And Raging) participe à combler cette lacune. Ce travail met en oeuvre une méthodologie de télédétection de l’aérosol urbain, dans laquelle les interactions photons-matière de type élastique et non élastique sont considérées pour estimer les paramètres optiques des particules. L’état de polarisation de la lumière diffusée est également examiné permettant de sonder la phase thermodynamique des particules observées. L’étude a consisté à caractériser les performances de la détection lidar des aérosols urbains en considérant les propriétés spectrales et la polarisation de la diffusion optique dans le domaine ultraviolet-visible. La perturbation majeure de la mesure, la lumière solaire, a été précisément évaluée et minimisée en agissant sur la résolution spectrale de la mesure et sur la polarisation du faisceau laser émis. La validation de la télédétection des particules fines atmosphériques dans l’ultraviolet est présentée. Elle est basée sur une comparaison entre la mesure Lidar et des mesures par spectrométrie de masse (AMS : Aerosol Mass Spectroscopy). Finalement, sur les bases de ces travaux, un nouveau détecteur a été conçu, développé et ensuite évalué à partir de la station Lidar permanente du laboratoire. Ainsi de très faibles taux de dépolarisation de l’atmosphère dans le domaine de l’ultraviolet, de 0,33 %, ont pu être mesurés. Ceci ouvre des perspectives intéressantes sur l’étude de la dynamique physique des particules atmosphériques de taille nanométrique / Atmospheric particles of nanometric size have a significant effect on air quality, climate and health. If the effects are recognized, the quantification of their impacts remains a major challenge. The challenges are related to the strong inhomogeneity of the spatial and temporal distribution of morphology and size as well as the aerosol concentrations. Remote sensing methods such as LIDAR (Light Detection And Raging) contribute to filling this gap. This work implements a methodology for remote sensing of the urban aerosol, in which the elastic and inelastic interactions between photon and matter are considered to estimate the optical parameters of particles. The polarization state of scattered light is also examined to probe the thermodynamic phase of the particles. In this study we characterize the performance of urban aerosol lidar whereas the spectral and polarization properties of the backscattered light are considered in the ultraviolet and visible ranges. The sunlight which is the major disruption of the measurement was accurately assessed and minimized by controlling the spectral resolution of the detector and the polarization of the emitted laser beam. The validation of atmospheric fine particles detection by ultraviolet Lidar is presented. This validation is based on a comparison between the lidar measurements and those by mass spectrometry (AMS: Aerosol Mass Spectroscopy). Finally, on the basis of this work, a new detector was designed, developed and then evaluated. Thus very low rates of depolarization of the atmosphere (0.33%) in the ultraviolet range have been measured. This work leads to interesting perspectives on the study of the dynamics of atmospheric particles of nanometric size