Estimation Of Surface Albedo And Light Absorption By Atmospheric Aerosols Under Clear Skies From Digitised Goes-east Visual Images (solar Energy, Insolation, Satellite).

A method of estimating the Earth's surface albedo and the absorption of solar radiation by atmospheric aerosols from the energy balance with satellite visual images is discussed. A solution is proposed using the calibration of satellite imagery presented by Norton et al. (1980), the atmospheric corrections presented in Nack and Curran (1978) and the clear sky transmissivity model of Hoyt (1978). This method is tested on a set of data for twenty-three clear-sky cases in February, 1982 at the Hampton University Solar Measurement Site in Virginia. The albedos and aerosol light absorptions found are compared with various meteorological and illumination-viewing geometry variables, and the Hoyt (1978) model aerosol absorption predictions. The surface albedos showed a reasonable mean value of 0.177 ((+OR-) 0.054) but showed no significant dependence on any of the parameters tested. They showed a positive dependence of the surface albedo on the solar zenith angle, however, that was low in significance but was in agreement with other work (e.g., Raschke et al., 1973). The aerosol absorptions show reasonable ensemble means in both direct and total solar radiation.Ph.D.Physics, Atmospheric SciencePure SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/127857/2/8612517.pd