Claudio Tomasi

Aerosols in polar regions: A historical overview based on optical depth and in situ observations

Large sets of filtered actinometer, filtered pyrheliometer and Sun photometer measurements have been carried out over the past 30 years by various groups at different Arctic and Antarctic sites and ...

Improved algorithm for calculations of Rayleigh-scattering optical depth in standard atmospheres

Precise calculations of the total Rayleigh-scattering optical depth have been performed at 88 wavelengths ranging from 0.20 to 4.00 microm for the six well-known standard atmosphere models by integrating the volume Rayleigh-scattering coefficient along the vertical atmospheric path from sea level to a 120-km height. The coefficient was determined by use of an improved algorithm based on the Ciddor algorithm [Appl. Opt. 35, 1566 (1996)], extended by us over the 0.20-0.23-microm wavelength range to evaluate the moist air refractive index as a function of wavelength, air pressure, temperature, water-vapor partial pressure, and CO2 volume concentration. The King depolarization factor was also defined taking into account the moisture conditions of air. The results indicate that the influence of water vapor on Rayleigh scattering cannot be neglected at tropospheric altitudes: for standard atmospheric conditions represented in terms of the U.S. Standard Atmosphere (1976) model, the relative variations produced by water vapor in the Rayleigh scattering parameters at a 0.50-microm wavelength turn out to be equal to -0.10% in the moist air refractivity at sea level (where the water-vapor partial pressure is equal to approximately 7.8 hPa), -0.04% in the sea-level King factor, -0.24% in the sea-level Rayleigh-scattering cross section, and -0.06% in the Rayleigh-scattering optical depth.

Application of the SKYRAD Improved Langley plot method for the in situ calibration of CIMEL Sun-sky photometers

The in situ procedure for determining the solar calibration constants, originally developed for the PREDE Sun-sky radiometers and based on a modified version of the Langley plot, was applied to a CIMEL instrument located in Valencia, Spain, not integrated into AERONET. Taking into account the different mechanical and electronic characteristics of the two radiometers, the method was adapted to the characteristics of the CIMEL instrument. The iterative procedure for the determination of the solar calibration constants was applied to a 3-year data set. The results were compared with the two sets of experimental calibration constants determined during this period using the standard Langley plot method. The agreement was found to be consistent with the experimental errors, and the method can definitely also be used to determine the solar calibration constant for the CIMEL instrument, improving its calibration. The method can be used provided the radiometer is previously calibrated for diffuse radiance using a standard lamp.

Study of the Relationship between Ångström's Wavelength Exponent and Junge Particle Size Distribution Exponent

Abstract The volume extinction coefficient produced by aerosol particles at wavelength λ is generally proportional to λ−α as found by Anstrom. On the other hand, particle size spectra frequently give a particle number density approximately proportional to the inverse of the radius power with exponent ν, as found by Junge. On the basis of computations made using a very accurate Mie extinction algorithm, a study of the relationship curve between exponents α and ν is made for aerosol particle polydispersions of different radius intervals and for different refractive index values. Moreover, a set of relationship curves is obtained for realistic particulate extinction models based on different size distribution curves and refractive index models. The results show that the linear relationship α = ν − 2 is not valid in most cases. In particular, exponent α assumes appreciably lower values than ν − 2 in the range ν > 3 for all the particulate extinction models.

Multiwavelength sun-photometers for accurate measurements of atmospheric extinction in the visible and near-IR spectral range

A new multiwavelength sun-photometer has been developed to obtain accurate measurements of the atmospheric attenuation of direct solar radiation at seven window wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. The instruments optical features and performance are described. The photometer was calibrated by following a careful procedure based on the Langley method. An additional eighth bandpass filter was used to obtain measurements of the precipitable water. Five examples of this instrument have been constructed and calibrated for a network of mountain stations in Southern Italy to monitor Sahara dust transport episodes.

Characterization of the atmospheric temperature and moisture conditions above Dome C (Antarctica) during austral summer and fall months

Two sets of radiosounding measurements were taken at Dome C (Antarctica) in December 2003 and January 2003 and 2004, using RS80-A, RS80-H, and RS90 Vaisala radiosondes, and from March to May 2005, employing the RS92 model. They were examined following accurate correction procedures to remove the main relative humidity dry bias and the temperature and humidity lag errors. The results showed that a strong cooling usually characterizes the thermal conditions of the whole troposphere from December/January to April/May, with an average temperature decrease from 245 to 220 K at the ground, of around 10 K at upper tropospheric levels, and of more than 15 K in the lower stratosphere. The relative humidity data were found to be affected by dry bias of 5-10%, on average, for the RS80-A and RS80-H Humicap sensors and by smaller percentages for the other sensors. The mean monthly vertical profiles of absolute humidity were found to decrease sharply throughout the troposphere, especially within the first 3 km, and to diminish considerably passing from December/January to March/April/ May, with average values of precipitable water decreasing from 0.75 to 0.28 mm, median values from 0.69 to 0.25 mm, and first and third quartiles from 0.60 to 0.22 mm and from 0.87 to 0.34 mm, respectively. The results demonstrate that Dome C (where a permanent scientific station has been open for winter operations since austral winter 2005) is a site of comparable quality to the South Pole for both validation of satellite radiance measurements and astronomic observations in the infrared, submillimetric, and millimetric wavelength range, performed with large telescopes that cannot be carried on satellites.

Particulate Matter at Surface: Northern Italy Monitoring Based on Satellite Remote Sensing, Meteorological Fields, and in-situ Samplings

Growing attention has been paid over recent years to the possibility of monitoring surface particulate matter (PM) concentrations through the use of satellite observations. Satellite remote sensing of both aerosol and trace gas constituents can be usefully employed in air quality monitoring (AQ). The MODIS (Terra-Aqua/NASA platforms) aerosol optical properties were used here in a semi-empirical approach to estimate PM2.5 content at ground level. PM2.5 samplings were employed to convert aerosol optical depth AOD into PM estimates, considering meteorological fields simulated by MM5. Thus, daily maps of satellite-based PM2.5 concentrations over Northern Italy were derived. Comparison with daily PM2.5, sampled on the ground during the QUITSAT project over six validation sites of the Po valley, showed good agreement (R2 ¿ 0.68 and R2 ¿ 0.59 for MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua, respectively), with the satellite-based concentrations tending to underestimate the values by at most ~20%. Monthly averaged values were also compared providing good agreement, with R2 ¿ 0.7 for each platform.

Regional aerosol optical depth characteristics from satellite observations: ACE-1, TARFOX and ACE-2 results

Analysis of the aerosol properties during 3 recent international field campaigns (ACE-1, TARFOX and ACE-2) are described using satellite retrievals from NOAA AVHRR data. Validation of the satellite retrieval procedure is performed with airborne, shipboard, and land-based sunphotometry during ACE-2. The intercomparison between satellite and surface optical depths has a correlation coefficient of 0.93 for 630 nm wavelength and 0.92 for 860 nm wavelength. The standard error of estimate is 0.025 for 630 nm wavelength and 0.023 for 860 nm wavelength. Regional aerosol properties are examined in composite analysis of aerosol optical properties from the ACE-1, TARFOX and ACE-2 regions. ACE-1 and ACE-2 regions have strong modes in the distribution of optical depth around 0.1, but the ACE-2 tails toward higher values yielding an average of 0.16 consistent with pollution and dust aerosol intrusions. The TARFOX region has a noticeable mode of 0.2, but has significant spread of aerosol optical depth values consistent with the varied continental aerosol constituents off the eastern North American Coast.

Features of the proportionality coefficient in the relationship between visibility and liquid water content in haze and fog

Abstract A wide set of size‐distribution models of haze and fog droplets expressed in terms of the modified gamma distribution function have been used for evaluating the proportionality coefficient b in the empirical relationship between visibility V and liquid water content LWC, that is V=b (LWC)‐ 2/3, as proposed by Eldridge (1966). The evaluations of b turn out to be consistent with the values proposed in the literature and give evidence for its close dependence on the shape‐parameters of the droplet size distribution, especially as regards the mode radius and the width of the larger‐droplet wing. Three average relationship curves are proposed respectively for dense haze, “dry and cold” fog and “wet and warm” fog. Corresponding to these cases, three correlation lines are presented between b and the ratio of the volume extinction coefficient at 3.70 μm wavelength to that at 0.55 μm, evaluated for the same uniform path in hazy and foggy atmospheres. Applied to measurements of infrared and visible transmi...

Shipboard Sunphotometer Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth Spectra and Columnar Water Vapor During ACE-2, and Comparison with Selected Land, Ship, Aircraft, and Satellite Measurements

Analyses of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and columnar water vapor (CWV) measurements acquired with NASA Ames Research Center’s 6-channel Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-6) operated aboard the R/V Professor Vodyanitskiy during the 2nd Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2) are discussed. Data are compared with various in situ and remote measurements for selected cases. The focus is on 10 July, when the Pelican airplane flew within 70 km of the ship near the time of a NOAA-14/AVHRR satellite overpass and AOD measurements with the 14−channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) above the marine boundary layer (MBL) permitted calculation of AOD within the MBL from the AATS-6 measurements. A detailed column closure test is performed for MBL AOD on 10 July by comparing the AATS-6 MBL AODs with corresponding values calculated by combining shipboard particle size distribution measurements with models of hygroscopic growth and radiosonde humidity profiles (plus assumptions on the vertical profile of the dry particle size distribution and composition). Large differences (30−80% in the mid-visible) between measured and reconstructed AODs are obtained, in large part because of the high sensitivity of the closure methodology to hygroscopic growth models, which vary considerably and have not been validated over the necessary range of particle size/composition distributions. The wavelength dependence of AATS-6 AODs is compared with the corresponding dependence of aerosol extinction calculated from shipboard measurements of aerosol size distribution and of total scattering measured by a shipboard integrating nephelometer for several days. Results are highly variable, illustrating further the great difficulty of deriving column values from point measurements. AATS-6 CWV values are shown to agree well with corresponding values derived from radiosonde measurements during 8 soundings on 7 days and also with values calculated from measurements taken on 10 July with the AATS-14 and the University of Washington Passive Humidigraph aboard the Pelican.