NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Absorption of visible radiation in atmosphere containing mixtures of absorbing and nonabsorbing particlesThe presence of a strongly absorbing material, tentatively identified as graphitic carbon, or 'soot', is indicated by measurements of single-scattering albedo of tropospheric aerosols. Although theoretical calculations based on models of the ways in which soot may mix with other aerosol materials yield the single-scattering albedo values of 0.6, accounted for by a minimum 20% soot by volume, in urban regions and 0.8, yielded by 1-5% soot by volume, in rural settings, it is found that these same values can be produced by similar amounts of the iron oxide magnetite. Magnetite is shown to be indistinguishable from soot by optical measurements performed on bulk samples, and calculation of various mixtures of soot indicate the difficulty of determining aerosol composition by optical scattering techniques.
Document ID
19820027312
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Ackerman, T. P.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Toon, O. B.
(NASA Ames Research Center Space Sciences Div., Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
October 15, 1981
Publication Information
Publication: Applied Optics
Volume: 20
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
82A10847
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available