AEROSOL ABSORPTION OF SOLAR RADIATION BY THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE WATER SURFACE

V. I. Binenko

The estimates of the aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere over the water surface are obtained from retrieval of satellite and aircraft radiation measurements. An empirical relationship is established between the absorptivity of the atmosphere and its optical depth. It is used to determine the respective values of the absorption of short-wave radiation in the atmosphere. The maximum absorption of solar radiation in the atmosphere is observed over the Arabian Sea, over the Atlantic near West Africa (due to dust storms from the lee zones of deserts), over inland seas subject to the influence of the anthropogenic aerosol from nearby towns and industrial zones, and also in extreme conditions from smoke plumes over water and large-scale fires.