Premium
Measurement of cloud integrated backscattering coefficient with a nephelometer
Author(s) -
Novakov T.,
RiveraCarpio C.,
Schmidt R. C.,
Rogers C. F.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/91gl01721
Subject(s) - nephelometer , solar zenith angle , zenith , albedo (alchemy) , mie scattering , environmental science , remote sensing , cloud computing , correlation coefficient , cloud physics , meteorology , atmospheric sciences , optics , physics , scattering , geology , light scattering , statistics , mathematics , computer science , operating system , art , performance art , art history
We describe the application of a nephelometer to in‐situ, real‐time measurement of the integrated backscattering coefficient σ bs of cloud drops. For thin and moderately thick clouds, this quantity is related to the cloud albedo A, for 0° zenith solar radiation, through the relation A=σ bs L, where L is the geometric cloud thickness. The instrument was used in a field experiment on El Yunque peak in Puerto Rico. The measured σ bs values are in agreement with results of Mie theory calculations, using independently measured cloud drop concentration and size distribution.