Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Spectral Signature of Column Solar Radiation Absorption During the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE). Revision

Journal Article · · Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmosphere
OSTI ID:761460
Spectral and broadband shortwave radiative flux data obtained from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE) are compared with 3-D radiative transfer computations for the cloud field of October 30, 1995. Because the absorption of broadband solar radiation in the cloudy atmosphere deduced from observations and modeled differ by 135 Wm{sup -2}, we performed a consistency analysis using spectral observations and the model to integrate for wavelengths between the spectral observations. To match spectral measurements, aerosols need a reduction in both single scattering albedo (from 0.938 to 0.82) and asymmetry factor (from 0.67 to 0.61), and cloud droplets require a three-fold increase in co-albedo. Even after modifying the model inputs and microphysics the difference in total broadband absorption is still of the order of 75Wm{sup -2}. Finally, an unexplained absorber centered around 1.06 {micro}m appears in the comparison that is much too large to be explained by dimers.
Research Organization:
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
FG03-95ER61986
OSTI ID:
761460
Journal Information:
Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmosphere, Journal Name: Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmosphere
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English