Investigations of the Absorption Properties of Near-Ground Aerosol by the Methods of Optical-Acoustic Spectrometry and Diffuse Extinction

Aerosol absorption is an important factor in the formation of non-selective radiation extinction in the visible wavelength range, and plays a great role in solving many radiative and climatic problems. The principal absorbing substance in atmospheric aerosol is soot (crystal carbon), which strongly affects the atmospheric transparency, albedo of clouds, and snow cover. The non-selective absorption by finely dispersed soot aerosol is considered to be one of the most plausible reasons for the appearance of so-called “surplus absorption” of the shortwave (SW) optical radiation in clouds and cloudless atmosphere. Investigations of the spectral dependencies of the efficiency factor of absorption of the SW optical radiation by soot particles is of significant interest (Moosmüller et al. 1998; Bergstrom et al. 2002). The instruments designed for investigating the aerosol absorption properties and the results of synchronic measurements of the spectral values of the aerosol absorption coefficient and the mass concentration of soot in the near-ground air layer are discussed in this paper.