Abstract
Abstract. An empirical model of the vertical profiles of aerosol optical characteristics is described. This model was developed based on data acquired from multi-year airborne sensing of optical and microphysical characteristics of the tropospheric aerosol over West Siberia. The main initial characteristics for the creation of the model were measurement data of the vertical profiles of the aerosol angular scattering coefficients in the visible wavelength range, particle size distribution functions and mass concentrations of black carbon (BC). The proposed model allows us to retrieve the aerosol optical and radiative characteristics in the visible and near-IR wavelength range, using the season, air mass type and time of day as input parameters. The columnar single scattering albedo and asymmetry factor of the aerosol scattering phase function, calculated using the average vertical profiles, are in good agreement with data from the AERONET station located in Tomsk. For solar radiative flux calculations, this empirical model has been tested for typical summer conditions. The available experimental database obtained for the regional features of West Siberia and the model developed on this basis are shown to be sufficient for performing these calculations.
Highlights
Research over the past few years has led to the generally accepted conclusion that atmospheric aerosol is one of the main substances determining climate characteristics (IPCC, 2007)
We describe our approach to estimating the upward and downward solar radiative fluxes on the basis of an empirical model of the vertical profiles of tropospheric aerosol optical properties over West Siberia
As for the model of continental aerosol OPAC, its single scattering albedo data are close to the values we obtained for the territory of West Siberia, while the qualitative differences in the asymmetry factor values are much more significant
Summary
Research over the past few years has led to the generally accepted conclusion that atmospheric aerosol is one of the main substances determining climate characteristics (IPCC, 2007). The presented model of the vertical profiles of all of the required radiative parameters is based on the airborne sensing data of optical and microphysical characteristics of the tropospheric aerosol over West Siberia at altitudes of 0–5 km (Panchenko et al, 1998; Panchenko and Terpugova, 2002) with the season, air mass type and time of day as the input parameters. The aerosol absorption properties are taken into account through simultaneous airborne measurements of the vertical profiles of the scattering coefficient of aerosol dry matter and the mass concentration of black carbon in different seasons (Panchenko et al, 2000; Kozlov et al, 2009). The aerosol radiative parameters that are characteristic of typical summer conditions in West Siberia are presented
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