Abstract

Accurate determination of photodissociation rates in the troposphere and stratosphere in the 280–800-nm wavelength range requires calculation of the effects of anisotropic multiple scattering, pure absorption, and ground reflection on the solar flux incident at the top of the atmosphere. Past attempts to model these effects have led to approximate, sometimes time-consuming, models whose reliability is unknown. A general algorithm has been developed which includes (1) Rayleigh and Mie scattering by molecules and aerosols, (2) ground reflectivity, and (3) pure absorption by trace constituents such as ozone. Selected comparisons with existing approximate calculations are discussed, and a region of validity in wavelength and optical depth for isotropic scattering is presented.

© 1979 Optical Society of America

Tropospheric UV flux calculations and photolysis rates for use with zonally and diurnally averaged models

Gregory L. Matloff and Richard W. Stewart
Appl. Opt. 18(20) 3421-3425 (1979)

Multiple Scattering Calculation of the Middle Ultraviolet Reaching the Ground

E. P. Shettle and A. E. S. Green
Appl. Opt. 13(7) 1567-1581 (1974)

Inversion of stratospheric aerosol and gaseous constituents from spacecraft solar extinction data in the 0.38–1.0-μm wavelength region

W. P. Chu and M. P. McCormick
Appl. Opt. 18(9) 1404-1413 (1979)

Effects of variation in cloudiness and stratospheric aerosol scattering upon tropospheric UV flux, photolysis rates, and the ozone urban plume

Gregory L. Matloff
Appl. Opt. 20(22) 3947-3950 (1981)

Effect of Aerosol Variation on Radiance in the Earth’s Atmosphere–Ocean System

Gilbert N. Plass and George W. Kattawar
Appl. Opt. 11(7) 1598-1604 (1972)