Effective refractive indices of water and sulfate drops containing absorbing inclusions

In this study the range of visible refractive indices and single-scattering albedos that can be obtained using various mean field formulations for mixtures of two components, where one component absorbs in the visible, is explored. For calculations of global radiative forcing and climate response, s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the atmospheric sciences 2006-02, Vol.63 (2), p.754-763
Main Author: ERLICK, Carynelisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Albedo
Atmospheric aerosols
Drop size distribution
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorology
Radiative transfer. Solar radiation
Scattering
Sulfates
Sulfur
Water
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this study the range of visible refractive indices and single-scattering albedos that can be obtained using various mean field formulations for mixtures of two components, where one component absorbs in the visible, is explored. For calculations of global radiative forcing and climate response, such formulations provide a convenient way to take into account internal mixing of aerosol components without the computational burden of a more exact theory, provided that the limits of their applicability are kept in mind. Within those limits, the results show that for water and sulfate drops containing dust and soot inclusions, the degree of interaction between the electric fields of neighboring inclusions is not important. However, the shape and size of the inclusions can cause a variation in the effective imaginary refractive index of up to a factor of 3.4 and a variation in the single-scattering albedo of up to 0.18 in absolute value.
ISSN:0022-4928
1520-0469
DOI:10.1175/JAS3635.1