Actinometric method for the determination of total number of aerosol particles in the vertical atmospheric columna.

Abstract

A method is described for the evaluation of the total amount of suspended particles in a unitary vertical air column. The method is based in an aerosol and atmospheric extinction model, its results are compared with the Angstrom turbidity coefficient. Taking into account the surface concentration of particles and assuming an exponentially decay of the concentration, the height scale of the aerosol vertical distribution was established. Finally, taking advantage from the attenuation model, some numerical experiments that permit the evaluation of the effect of the different atmospheric components considered in the model were made, such as total amount of particles precipitable water, the carbon dioxide abundance and the total atmospheric ozone.