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Aerosol optical depth and planetary Albedo in the visible from the Solar Mesosphere ExplorerThe Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) satellite has observed the visible sunlight scattered at the earth's limb since early 1982. By using a radiative-transfer model including multiple scattering and albedo effects, observations at 20 deg N latitude have been interpreted in terms of aerosol optical depth. The ratio of aerosol extinction to Rayleigh extinction at 431.8 nm shows a large increase after the eruption of El Chichon. A maximum ratio of 5 at 36 km and larger than 11 at 30 km occurred in the summer of 1982 followed by a decrease through 1983 and 1984. Aspects of the aerosol time evolution appear to be consistent with other observations and model predictions. Quantitative differences exist between inferred SME and lidar extinction coefficients, possibly due to the different wavelengths of the measurements and to the different scattering phase functions used in the two analyses. It is also shown that visible limb radiances provide information on the planetary albedo, which shows an increase from the equator to the poles with a maximum in the winter hemisphere and a minimum in the summer hemisphere.
Document ID
19870062966
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Naudet, J. P.
(CNRS Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement, Orleans, France)
Thomas, G. E.
(Colorado, University Boulder, United States)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
July 20, 1987
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 92
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
87A50240
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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