The effects of relative humidity on the infrared aerosol extinction in the 3–5 and 8–15 μm spectral regions

Abstract

The variation of the infrared aerosol extinction coefficient as a function of relative humidity is studied. This is based on a two-component—maritime and continental—particle distribution model. The aerosol extinction coefficient increases by a factor of more than 10 throughout the 3–5 and 8–15 μm spectral regions as the relative humidity increases from 0.5 to 0.99. For relative humidities a region of lower extinction around 10–11 μm is indicated.