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Published October 13, 1981 | public
Book Section - Chapter

Chemical Species Contributions to Light Scattering by Aerosols at a Remote Arid Site Comparison of Statistical and Theoretical Results

Abstract

A one-year, aerosol-light extinction experiment was conducted at China Lake, California, an arid site in the Mohave Desert. Measurements of the aerosol size distribution, the light scattering coefficient, and fine aerosol chemical composition were made. Multiple regression analysis was applied to the measured particle light scattering coefficient and fine aerosol species mass concentrations from 61 filter samples collected during 1979. Contributions of various aerosol species to the particle light scattering coefficient, b_(sp), were estimated. The statistically estimated contributions were compared with those determined theoretically using measured aerosol mass distributions. It was found that the statistically inferred species contributions to b_(sp) agreed qualitatively with those calculated theoretically using measured aerosol distributions. Regression analysis overestimated the contribution of sulfate relative to that calculated theoretically. Using measured 1979 values, a light extinction budget was calculated for China Lake. Measured mass extinction coefficients were used to predict the reduction in visibility at China Lake which would occur by increasing the concentrations of various aerosol species.

Additional Information

© 1981 American Chemical Society. Received May 11, 1981. Published in print 13 October 1981. This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation grant number PFR76-04179, The Pasadena Lung Association and the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake. We thank Paul Owens and Tom Dodson of the Naval Weapons Center for their assistance in collecting the experimental data.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
January 14, 2024