Vol. 20, issue 01, article # 5

Abstract:

A statistical technique is proposed for estimating absorption coefficient of atmospheric aerosol in a wide wavelength range based on data of simultaneous long-path measurements of the spectral coefficients of the radiation extinction by aerosol, scattering coefficients of the dry aerosol at Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Research λ = 0.52 μm, and mass concentration of the soot-containing aerosol MBC in a local volume. The technique was tested on the experimental material obtained during complex studies of the atmospheric aerosol in June 2004 near Tomsk. We have revealed spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient of soot-containing aerosol. A well-pronounced decrease of the absorption occurs with the wavelength increasing from 0.45 to 4 μm. Such a wavelength dependence of the absorption coefficient, which can be approximately estimated as 1/λ, evidences that the absorbing particles have very small size.