Retrieval of aerosol size distribution from extinction measurements and verification with observations at a tropical station

Aerosol size distributions were retrieved by computing aerosol extinction parameters using extensive measurements of direct solar radiation made in the 0.4 and 0.6 μm wavelengths at Pune with Volz type sunphotometer during winter (November–February), pre-monsoon (March–May), monsoon (June–August) and post-monsoon (September–October) of 1980–1981. The computer aerosol size distributions are compared with the direct measurements made using Anderson eight-stage cascade impactor. There is agreement between the retrieved and measured size distributions. The retrieval method is simple and useful for intensive aerosol measurement programmes.     

Dirty ice grains in comets

Based on the computed equilibrium temperature of evaporating dirty water-ice grains, dirty water-ice halo is examined, taking into account of a size dependence of terminal velocity of dust at P/Halley. It is found that due to an enhanced grain's temperature caused by dirtiness, icy halo cannot extend over 100 km from the nucleus when comet approaches inside a solar distance r of 1 AU. Therefore, it is unlikely that the ice bands in the near infrared wavelengths could be detected in the cometary coma at r<1 AU.     

Deriving remote sensing reflectance from turbid Case II waters using green-shortwave infrared bands based model

The objectives of this study are to validate the applicability of a shortwave infrared atmospheric correction model (SWIR-based model) in deriving remote sensing reflectance in turbid Case II waters, and to improve that model using a proposed green-shortwave infrared model (GSWIR-based model). In a GSWIR-based model, the aerosol type is determined by a SWIR-based model and the reflectance due to aerosol scattering is calculated using spectral slope technology. In this study, field measurements collected from three independent cruises from two different Case II waters were used to compare models. The results indicate that both SWIR- and GSWIR-based models can be used to derive the remote sensing reflectance at visible wavelengths in turbid Case II waters, but GSWIR-based models are superior to SWIR-based models. Using the GSWIR-based model decreases uncertainty in remote sensing reflectance retrievals in turbid Case II waters by 2.6–12.1%. In addition, GSWIR-based model’s sensitivity to user-supplied parameters was determined using the numerical method, which indicated that the GSWIR-based model is more sensitive to the uncertainty of spectral slope technology than to that of aerosol type retrieval methodology. Due to much lower noise tolerance of GSWIR-based model in the blue and near-infrared regions, the GSWIR-based model performs poorly in determining remote sensing reflectance at these wavelengths, which is consistent with the GSWIR-based model’s accuracy evaluation results.     

Spectral and temporal characteristics of aerosol optical depth over a wet tropical location in North East India

A network of multi wavelength solar radiometer (MWR) stations has been in operation since the 1980s in India for measurement of aerosol optical depth (AOD). This network was augmented recently with the addition of a large number of stations located across the length and breath of India covering a variety of climate regimes. The spectral and temporal variations of aerosol optical depths observed over Dibrugarh located in the North East of India (27.3°N, 94.5°E) are investigated by analyzing the data obtained from a MWR during October 2001–September 2003 using the Langley technique. AOD varies with time of the day, month of the year and season. From January to April and October to December, aerosol optical depth decreases with wavelength whereas during May–September aerosol optical depth has been found to be nearly independent of wavelengths. AOD is higher during pre-monsoon season (March–May) and lower in the monsoon (June–September) season at about all wavelengths. The temporal variation of AOD over Dibrugarh have also been compared with those reported from selected locations in India.     

Reconstruction of solar UV irradiance

Understanding solar influence on the Earth’s climate requires a reconstruction of solar irradiance for the pre-satellite period. Considerable advances have been made in modelling the irradiance variations at wavelengths longer than 200 nm. At shorter wavelengths, however, the LTE approximation usually taken in such models fails, which makes a reconstruction of the solar UV irradiance a rather intricate problem. We choose an alternative approach and use the observed SUSIM UV spectra to extrapolate available models to shorter wavelengths.     

Modeling of effect of polarization on UV sky radiance during twilight

The spatial distribution of the vector of the Stokes parameters characterizing the radiance intensity and the radiance polarization describes the radiation field in the atmosphere. A simplified treatment of light as the scalar has only restricted application. A few studies compared previously results of the vector and scalar radiative transfer models and showed that scalar models are in error by up to 10% for many cases. Though several observational conditions were exploited, an effect of polarization on modeling of UV radiance has not been investigated yet for twilight. The paper presents a preliminary study of modeled UV radiance during twilight taking into account polarization. The intensity and the degree of linear polarization of the scattered UV radiance for two cases of the ground-based observations are discussed. In the first case, radiation incoming from the zenith for the solar zenith angles (SZA) from 90° to 98° is under investigation. Radiation in the solar principal plane for the beginning of twilight (SZA = 90.1°) was calculated in the second case. The study showed that the UV radiation field in the twilight atmosphere can be handled correctly only using the vector theory. The errors of scalar radiative transfer strongly depend on wavelength, line of an observation and solar position. The revealed distortion of the zenith radiance caused by using of the scalar approximation reaches maximum of 15% at 340 nm for the solar zenith angle (SZA) equal to 98°. The shorter wavelengths have the smaller errors, about 5% at 305 nm for SZA = 98°, due to the larger part of the single scattered radiance. The error of the scalar modeling may be as large as −17% for radiance incoming from the horizon for SZA = 90.1°. Scalar radiative transfer models underestimate the integral intensity in the principal plane up to 3–4% ± 0.5% at SZA = 90.1° for wavelengths from 320 to 340 nm. This should be taken into account in problems of radiative budget estimation and remote sensing of the atmosphere exploiting the twilight period.     

气溶胶光学特性偏振遥感反演算法

陆地上空大气顶的辐射主要由大气散射和地表反射组成,一般地表反射的贡献要大于大气散射的贡献,使得陆地上空气溶胶的特性提取非常困难,而偏振信息只强烈依赖于散射粒子的特性,发展基于偏振信息的气溶胶反演方法是非常有效的. 通过对矢量辐射传输方程求解进行研究,基于倍加累加法矢量辐射传输模式分析影响气溶胶反演的主要因素,确定多维参数查找表建立方法,利用POLDER(Polarization and Directionality of the Earth-s Reflectances)提供的反射率和偏振反射率数据,发展了一种利用反射率和偏振反射率查找表迭代查找反演气溶胶光学参数和地表反射率的算法,实现了对北京、香河、Dalanzadgad观测站上空气溶胶光学厚度、粒子半径、折射指数和地表反射率的反演.用AERONET(Aerosol Robotic Network)地基数据对反演结果进行了验证.     

New flare model using recent measurements of the solar ultraviolet irradiance

The solar photon output from the Sun, which was once thought to be constant, varies considerably over time scales from seconds during solar flares to years due to the solar cycle. This is especially true in the wavelengths shorter than 190 nm. These variations cause significant deviations in the Earth and space environment on similar time scales, which then affects many things including satellite drag, radio communications, atmospheric densities and composition of particular atoms, molecules, and ions of Earth and other planets, as well as the accuracy in the Global Positioning System (GPS). The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) is an empirical model that estimates the solar irradiance at wavelengths from 0.1 to 190 nm at 1 nm resolution with a time cadence of 60 s. This is a high enough temporal resolution to model variations due to solar flares, for which few accurate measurements at these wavelengths exist. This model also captures variations on the longer time scales of solar rotation (days) and solar cycle (years). Daily average proxies used are the 0–4 nm irradiance, the Mg II c/w, F10.7, as well as the 1 nm bins centered at 30.5 nm, 121.5 (Lyman Alpha), and 36.5 nm. The GOES 0.1–0.8 nm irradiance is used as the flare proxy. The FISM algorithms are given, and results and comparisons are shown that demonstrate the FISM estimations agree within the stated uncertainties to the various measurements of the solar Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) irradiance.     

The variability of the sun's ultraviolet radiation

The intensity of continua and emission lines which form the solar UV spectrum below 2100 Å is variable. Continua and emission lines originating from different layers in the solar atmosphere show a different degree of variability. Coronal emission lines at short wavelengths are much more variable than continua at longer wavelengths which originate in lower layers of the solar atmosphere. Typical time-scales of solar UV variability are minutes (flare induced), days (birth of active regions), 27 days (solar rotation), 11 years (solar cycle) and perhaps centuries, caused by long-term changes of the solar activity. UV intensity variations have been determined by either absolute irradiance measurements or by contrast measurements of plages vs. the quiet sun. Plages are the main contributor to the solar UV variability. Typical values for the solar UV variability over a solar cycle are: <1% at wavelengths longer than 2100 Å, 8% at 2080 Å (continuum), 20% at 1900 Å (continuum), 70% at H Lyα, 200% in certain emission lines 1200 < λ < 1800 Å and more than a factor of 4 in coronal lines λ < 1000 Å. Plage models predict the variable component of the solar UV radiation within ±50%. Absolute fluxes are known within ±30%. Several efforts are underway to monitor the solar UV irradiance with a precision better than a few percent over a solar activity cycle.     

Saturn's equatorial haze

We have measured the amount of Raman scattering in Saturn's equatorial zone and polar regions near the central meridian at the wavelengths of the H and K Ca II solar lines, 3934 Å and 3969 Å. Approximately 2.1% of the sunlight in this wavelength range is Raman scattered out of this range in Saturn's equatorial zone. Modeling the aerosol particle distribution as a clear, Rayleigh- and Raman-scattering gas over a dense haze yields an H₂ column abundance of about 40 km-Amagats. Comparison with results obtained by Pioneer 11 suggests that either the equatorial haze was 2.5 times deeper at the time of these observations (May, 1981) than at the time of the Pioneer 11 flyby (Sept., 1979); or the haze particles are much more strongly polarizing in blue light than they are in red light.     

Plasma polarization electric field derived from radio sounding of solar wind acceleration region with spacecraft signals

Presented is the analytical approximation of averaged solar wind velocity radial dependence in the solar wind acceleration region at heliolatitudes below 60° under low and moderate solar activity. This empirical approximation is based on the data of radio sounding of the solar corona with radio signals from various spacecraft. Deduced is an equation connecting the solar wind velocity radial dependence and the radial dependence of solar wind plasma polarization electric field intensity. This allows constructing a semi-empirical radial dependence of plasma polarization electric field corresponding to the empirical radial dependence of solar wind velocity. Main properties of the semi-empirical dependence, which is based on radio sounding data, are described.     

Physics of the impulsive phase of solar flares

The physics of the impulsive phase of solar flares is discussed in relation to high resolution microwave, hard X-ray and ultraviolet observations. High spatial resolution observations of the structure of microwave flaring loops and their interpretation in terms of arcades of loops as the sites of primary energy release are presented. Theoretical interpretation of the confinement of microwave producing energetic electrons in the coronal part of loops is discussed. High temporal and spatial resolution measurements in hard X-rays, as well as observations of the spectral evolution of the hard X-ray emission are presented. Observations of the relative locations of microwave and hard X-ray emitting regions are presented and their significance with respect to the energy release site and electron acceleration is discussed. The relative timing of the peaks of impulsive hard X-ray and microwave burst is discussed. The significance of ultraviolet measurements in obtaining the density of flaring regions is discussed. Possible diagnostics of impulsive phase onsets from cm-λ polarization data are presented, and the role of the emergence of new flux and of the current sheet formed between closed loops in producing impulsive energy release at centimeter wavelengths are analyzed. Decimeter and meter wave manifestations of preflash phase and millisecond pulsations at centimeter and decimeter wavelengths and the relevant physical processes involved are discussed.     

Observations of solar radio bursts from meter to kilometer wavelengths

Using the Clark Lake Radioheliograph data we present direct evidence that type III electron streams propagate in dense coronal streamers. We also present imaging observations of meter-decameter microbursts, which appear to be similar to those observed in hard X-rays. At meter-decameter wavelengths, these microbursts appear to be due to plasma radiation. From observations made with ISSE-3, we discuss the characteristics of hectometer and kilometer wavelength radio bursts. In particular, we show that from studies of type III storms that the exciter electrons propagate along spiral structures, where the density is enhanced and that there is an acceleration of the solar wind. We discuss type II bursts at kilometer wavelengths, compare them with meter type II bursts and discuss their association with interplanetary shocks. We show that the interaction between type III electron streams and shocks at kilometer wavelengths can provide information on the interplanetary shock geometry. Finally, we discuss the possibility that some shock associated (SA) events may be emissions caused by electrons accelerated lower in the atmosphere rather than high in the corona in type II shocks.Recent advances in solar research have resulted from new work on plasma radiation theory, new observations of active regions and flares across the electromagnetic spectrum and the availability of spacecraft in situ measurements of solar ejecta. In this paper, we review some results obtained with the Clark Lake multifrequency radioheliograph at meter-decameter wavelengths and from satellite multifrequency directive observations at hectometer and kilometer wavelengths. We present evidence that type III electrons propagate in dense coronal streamers, and that frequently observed microbursts (presumably of type III) at meter-decameter wavelengths are due to plasma radiation. We discuss observations of hectometer and kilometer type III radio storms which reveal information about active region structures, interplanetary magnetic field configuration, and solar wind acceleration. We also discuss kilometer type II bursts, interactions between type III electrons and interplanetary shocks, and present some new results on shock associated (SA) events.     

Changes in surface UV solar irradiance and ozone over the balkans during the eclipse of August 11, 1999

Intensive measurements of UV solar irradiance, total ozone and surface ozone were carried out during the solar eclipse of 11 August 1999 at Thessaloniki, Greece and Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, located very close to the footprint of the moon's shadow during the solar eclipse with the maximum coverage of the solar disk reaching about 90% and 96% respectively. It is shown that during the eclipse the diffuse component is reduced less compared to the decline of the direct solar irradiance at the shorter wavelengths. A 20-minute oscillation of erythemal UV-B solar irradiance was observed before and after the time of the eclipse maximum under clear skies, indicating a possible 20-minute fluctuation in total ozone presumably caused by the eclipse induced gravity waves. The surface ozone measurements at Thessaloniki display a decrease of around 10–15 ppbv during the solar eclipse. Similarly, ozone profile measurements with a lidar system indicate a decrease of ozone up to 2 km during the solar eclipse. The eclipse offered the opportunity to test our understanding of tropospheric ozone chemistry. The use of a chemical box model suggested that photochemistry can account for a significant portion of the observed surface ozone decrease.     

红外偏振成像进展

作为一种新型光电探测技术,红外偏振成像探测在军事和民用领域展现出的广阔应用前景,受到国内外众多学者和有关部门的高度关注。本文对近几年红外偏振探测理论、红外偏振成像系统、探测系统的应用等方面进行了总结,通过模拟不同材料的红外偏振辐射特性和实际图像分析,对红外偏振成像探测技术的发展动向、存在的问题和解决这些问题的思路给出了系统的综述。分析了当前红外偏振成像技术存在的优缺点,结合生物多波段偏振视觉的研究进展,提出了仿生偏振视觉的概念。通过分析目标辐射偏振特性,给出了影响偏振成像质量的因素,并用实际拍摄图像分析了红外偏振成像的适用领域。     

Passive remote sensing of aerosols from space now and in the future

Aerosols modify scattered solar radiation leaving the atmosphere and this fact will be exploited to determine the aerosol optical depth. The interaction processes between solar radiation and aerosol particles are outlined. A quasi-linear relationship (‘conversion curves’) between the radiance at the satellite, L_sat, and the aerosol optical depth, a_Dλ, is found from both numerical and empirical studies. Because L_sat is not only controlled by a_Dλ, but also by a series of other atmospheric parameters (perturbing quantities), the concept of ‘favourable viewing conditions’ is presented, where the effects of the perturbing quantities are minimal. The paper ends with some lines of thought on a concept for a turbidity satellite.     

红外测温系统中电路性能对工作波长选择的影响

红外测温中需要选择合适的工作波长。在一定的测温范围和准确度的要求下 ,根据测温系统中电路性能可以确定工作波长的选择范围 ,这对于测温时红外滤波片的选择具有一定的指导意义。     

Infrared astronomy on the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope offers enormous advantages to infrared astronomy in certain situations. The advantages of being above the atmosphere include an increase in spatial resolution, a much wider range of wavelengths available, and lower background radiation. Compared to proposed cooled telescopes, HST offers higher spatial resolution and increased collecting area. HST is particularly well suited to observations at wavelengths less than ～5 μm, where the diffraction limit is less than the seeing limit from the ground and thermal emission does not seriously compromise the sensitivity of the detectors. HST is also favorable for observations requiring high spectral resolution at all wavelengths not accessible from the ground.     

Solar radiometry: Spectral irradiance measurements

The present measurement accuracy of the solar spectral irradiance is insufficient to derive the real long-term solar spectral irradiance variability at all wavelengths. Possible error sources are discussed. A series of new second generation solar irradiance photometers are now under construction which should considerably improve these measurements. At the same time, efforts are made to improve the absolute UV calibration methods to derive a unified UV radiation scale.     

Total solar and spectral irradiance variations from solar cycles 21 to 23

Total solar and UV irradiances have been measured from various space platforms for more than two decades. More recently, observations of the “Variability of solar IRradiance and Gravity Oscillations” (VIRGO) experiment on SOHO provided information about spectral irradiance variations in the near-UV at 402 nm, visible at 500 nm, and near-IR at 862 nm. Analyses based on these space-borne irradiance measurements have convinced the skeptics that solar irradiance at various wavelengths and in the entire spectrum is changing with the waxing and waning solar activity. The main goal of this paper is to review the short- and long-term variations in total solar and spectral irradiances and their relation to the evolution of magnetic fields from solar cycles 21 to 23.