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A Thermal Infrared Radiation Parameterization for Atmospheric StudiesThis technical memorandum documents the longwave radiation parameterization developed at the Climate and Radiation Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, for a wide variety of weather and climate applications. Based on the 1996-version of the Air Force Geophysical Laboratory HITRAN data, the parameterization includes the absorption due to major gaseous absorption (water vapor, CO2, O3) and most of the minor trace gases (N2O, CH4, CFCs), as well as clouds and aerosols. The thermal infrared spectrum is divided into nine bands. To achieve a high degree of accuracy and speed, various approaches of computing the transmission function are applied to different spectral bands and gases. The gaseous transmission function is computed either using the k-distribution method or the table look-up method. To include the effect of scattering due to clouds and aerosols, the optical thickness is scaled by the single-scattering albedo and asymmetry factor. The parameterization can accurately compute fluxes to within 1% of the high spectral-resolution line-by-line calculations. The cooling rate can be accurately computed in the region extending from the surface to the 0.01-hPa level.
Document ID
20010072848
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Chou, Ming-Dah
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Suarez, Max J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Liang, Xin-Zhong
(Illinois Univ. at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL United States)
Yan, Michael M.-H.
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Lanham, MD United States)
Cote, Charles
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 2001
Subject Category
Geophysics
Report/Patent Number
NASA/TM-2001-104606/VOL19
Rept-2001-03197-0/VOL19
NAS 1.15:104606/VOL19
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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