ATM S 532, Winter Quarter 1999

Atmospheric Radiation (shortwave)

Instructor: Professor Stephen G. Warren
524 Atmospheric Sciences Bldg., 543-7230
sgw@atmos.washington.edu

Lectures:MWF, 11:30 - 12:20, 610 ATG

Prerequisite: undergraduate electricity and magnetism

Course Description:

(a) Radiative transfer: methods for solving the radiative transfer equation including scattering.

(b) Scattering and absorption of light by small atmospheric particles: Rayleigh scattering, Mie theory. A particular application emphasized in the course is the interaction of clouds with solar radiation.

Course Outline

A. Radiative Transfer

1. Definitions and radiation quantities
2. Radiative transfer equation (r.t.e.)
3. Formal solution of r.t.e.
4. Plane-parallel form of r.t.e.
5. Azimuthally-averaged r.t.e.
6. Integral equation for source function
7. Monte-Carlo method
8. Representation of anisotropic phase functions in r.t.e.
9. r.t.e. for plane-parallel atmosphere illuminated by direct solar beam.
10. Two-stream method
11. Eddington method for multi-layer atmosphere
12. Phase function truncation
13. Doubling method
14. Discrete ordinates method

B. Single Scattering

1. Review of electromagnetic theory
2. Polarized light
3. Reflection at an interface
4. Theory of optical constants
5. Rayleigh scattering
6. Mie theory
7. Results of Mie theory

Reference Books

A. General

Liou, K.N. An Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation. Academic Press, 1980.
Goody and Yung. Atmospheric Radiation (second edition). Oxford, 1989.

B. Radiative transfer

Menzel, D.H. (ed.) Selected Papers on the Transfer of Radiation. Dover, 1966.
Chandrasekhar, S. Radiative Transfer. Dover, 1966.
Mihalas, D. Stellar Atmospheres. Freemen, 1978.
Kourganoff. Basic Methods in Transfer Problems. 1950.
Thomas, G., and K. Stamnes. Radiative Transfer in Atmospheres and Oceans. Cambridge Univ. Press, in press 1999.

C. Single Scattering

van de Hulst, H.C. Light Scattering by Small Particles. Dover, 1981.
Bohren, D.F., and D.R. Huffman. Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles. Wiley, 1983.
Hansen, J.E., and L.D. Travis. "Light Scattering in planetary atmospheres" Space Science Reviews, 16, 527- 610 (1974).
McCartney, E.J. Optics of the Atmosphere. Wiley, 1976.

D. Radiation Instruments

Coulson, K.L. Solar and Terrestrial Radiation. Academic Press, 1975.
Iqbal. Solar Radiation.

E. Applications

Paltridge, G.W., and C.M.R. Platt. Radiation Processes in Meteorology and Climatology. Elsevier, 1976.

Journals

Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
Astrophysical Journal
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Applied Optics

Assignments

Homework problems (50% of grade)

Computer project (50% of grade)

Applications

reflection, transmission and absorption of light by clouds and snow
solar albedo of clouds and surfaces
microwave and infrared emissivity of surfaces
radar reflectivity of raindrops and hailstones
remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere and surface by reflected solar radiation
Earth radiation budget: problems of sampling in time and angle
climatic effects of aerosols
parameterization of solar radiation in the atmosphere

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