Characterization of Mojave Desert aerosols: Their effect on radiometer performance
- Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA (United States)
- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics
The Antelope Valley is part of the southwestern Mojave Desert lying fifty miles north of Los Angeles International Airport. The Antelope Valley is separated from the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley air basins by the San Gabriel Mountains. The Tehachapi Mountains, to the west, separate the Antelope Valley from the San Joaquin Valley. Combustion aerosols are transported from the San Joaquin Valley through the Tehachapi Pass and through the Soledad and Cajun passes from the Los Angeles air basin. Thus the valley`s atmosphere contains a spatially and temporally complex mixture of aerosols of urban, industrial and desert origin. The Visibility Impact Summer Study held from July to September 1990 was an intense, comprehensive study intended to measure aerosol size and chemical composition and to ascertain their optical effects. Size distributions for particle diameters from 0.01 to 10 {micro} were measured at hourly intervals and particle samplers were used to obtain chemical compositions at daily intervals at Tehachapi Pass and Edwards AFB, California. The extracted aerosol characteristics are discussed and compared to the desert aerosol model in LOWTRAN and the size and estimated composition of aerosols at China Lake reported upon earlier. The authors obtain relationships between aerosol mass and wind speed, diurnal size changes, and meteorological effects. Secondarily, extinction was calculated and used with LOWTRAN and radiosonde data for examination of aerosol effects on narrow band 3--5 and 8--12 {micro} imaging radiometer performance.
- OSTI ID:
- 231060
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940449-; ISBN 0-8194-1526-X; TRN: IM9623%%370
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers conference on intelligent information systems, Orlando, FL (United States), 4-8 Apr 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Atmospheric propagation and remote sensing 3; Flood, W.A.; Miller, W.B. [eds.]; PB: 947 p.; Proceedings/SPIE, Volume 2222
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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