Abstract
A method of measuring the diffuse components of the flux of solar radiation from an aircraft is described in which a simple obscurer is used to shadow an upward facing radiometer from the direct beam. The fraction of diffuse flux obscured by the device is calculated from the estimated scattering properties of the atmosphere. The potential of the technique in studies of solar radiation in cloud-free atmospheres is illustrated by reference to two examples, namely changes in the radiative structure of a hazy boundary layer associated with inhomogeneities in aerosol concentrations and the effect of volcanic dust on scattering in the upper troposphere/stratosphere. The sensitivity is such that changes in aerosol optical depth of 0.002 can be detected.
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