HR: 1340h
AN: A33D-0088    [Abstracts]
TI: Aerosol Extinction Profiles Validation: New Approach.
AU: * Taha, G
EM: g.taha@larc.nasa.gov
AF: University of Arizona, NASA Langley Research Center MS 475, Hampton, VA 23681 United States
AU: * Taha, G
EM: g.taha@larc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Langley Research Center, MS 475, Hampton, VA 23681 United States
AU: Thomason, L W
EM: l.w.thomason@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Langley Research Center, MS 475, Hampton, VA 23681 United States
AB: SAGE II/III measures aerosol extinction in the visible and near-infrared where extinction is dominated by scattering that is more dependent on size and to a lesser extent, on composition. On the other hand, other instruments such as HALOE and ILAS II measures aerosol extinction in the infrared where aerosol extinction is dominated by absorption and is strongly dependent on composition and to a lesser extent on size. In the past, the usual procedure to compare visible and infrared measurements is to convert to a common parameter like surface area density, mass mixing ratio, or a common extinction wavelength. While such comparison produced general agreement during periods of high aerosol loading, it often does not produce similar agreement during periods of low aerosol. In this work, we are using a new and unconventional mean of comparing aerosol profiles measured by different instruments at different wavelength range, by examining the aerosol extinction/absorption wavelength dependence and comparing to theoretically modeled ratios. SAGE II and HALOE long records are used to illustrate this approach for both high and low aerosol loading periods. Comparisons also include using SAGE III and ILAS II aerosol extinction profiles.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere--composition and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting