Modified Ångström exponent for the characterization of submicrometer aerosols

Abstract

The classical Ångström exponent is an operationally robust optical parameter that contains size information on all optically active aerosols in the field of view of a sunphotometer. Assuming that the optical effects of a typical (radius) size distribution can be approximated by separate submicrometer and supermicrometer components, we show that one can exploit the spectral curvature information in the measured optical depth to permit a direct estimation of a fine-mode (submicrometer) Ångström exponent (αբ) as well as the optical fraction of fine-mode particles (η). Simple expressions that enable the estimation of these parameters are presented and tested by use of simulations and measurements.