We present the method developed for analytical approximation of aerosol scattering phase functions by using natural characteristics of aerosol microstructure (indices of refraction and disperse composition of aerosol) as the approximation parameters. Errors of such an approximation are shown to be within the limits of the errors of other methods available for measurements of the scattering phase functions. A nomogram for determining the lidar ratio from data on the aerosol refractive indices and disperse composition is presented. Possibilities of estimating these indices from the data on the origin and characteristics of air masses in the regions of lidar sensing are considered. The possibilities of solving the inverse problem based on reconstructed values of the aerosol microstructure parameters by use of inverse transformation method for parametric approximation of the experimental phase functions are investigated.