COMPARISON OF PREDICTED AND MEASURED AEROSOL OPTICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES IN AUSTRALIAN CITIES

Comprehensive information on the optical and physical properties of aerosol particles is important for evaluating or estimating the effects of aerosol on air quality, visibility degradation and radiative forcing. The determination of extinction of light by ambient aerosol particles can be achieved successfully by the accurate estimation of aerosol refractive index using observed and modelled size-resolved chemical composition data. Physical and chemical properties of the aerosol in major Australian cities were measured by various instruments during a field campaign in 1997, which included a PMS ASASP-X aerosol spectrometer, nephelometers, a MOUDI multistage impactor and a TEOM mass balance. Our work employs a thermodynamic equilibrium model for the prediction of aerosol chemical properties and density, a partial molar refraction approach for mean aerosol refractive index and Mie calculation for the prediction of scattering coefficients. This paper presents the results from our model and comparison with data obtained during the study