We have designed and constructed a new Compact Cloud and Aerosol Lidar (ComCAL) for the deployment in field campaigns including participation in ship cruises with our research vessel Polarstern. The backscattered light of a Nd:YAG Laser at 1064 nm, 532 nm, and 355 nm is collected by a telescope in a Newtonian configuration and 40 cm aperture.At 532 nm and 355 nm the polarisation is selected by a rotating Glan-Taylor prism which is synchronized with the laser. This configuration allows the measurement of the depolarization without the need for calibration. Biomass burning aerosol has recently been shown to fluoresce when irradiated by a UV laser beam. A 32-channel spectrometermeasures Raman scattering and aerosol fluorescence simultaneously. The measurement of wavelength dependent backscatter, extinction, depolarization,and fluorescence allows a detailed study of atmospheric aerosol. The systems determines aerosol optical properties and their vertical distribution in the range from 700 m up to 20 km. The aerosol types, their origins and abundance can be deduced from that data. These are important parameters for the study of the effect of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on climate.