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UV attenuation in the cloudy atmosphere

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Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) energy absorption plays a very important role in the Earth–atmosphere system. Based on observational data for Beijing, we suggest that some atmospheric constituents utilize or transfer UV energy in chemical and photochemical (C&P) reactions, in addition to those which absorb UV energy directly. These constituents are primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from both vegetative and anthropogenic sources. The total UV energy loss in the cloudy atmosphere for Beijing in 1990 was 78.9 Wm−2. This attenuation was caused by ozone (48.3 Wm−2), other compounds in the atmosphere (26.6 Wm−2) and a scattering factor (4.0 Wm−2). Our results for a cloudy atmosphere in the Beijing area show that the absorption due to these other compounds occurs largely through the mediation of water vapor. This fraction of energy loss has not been fully accounted for in previous models. Observations and previous models results suggest that 1) a cloudy atmosphere absorbs 25∼30 Wm−2 more solar shortwave radiation than models predict; and 2) aerosols can significantly decrease the downward mean UV-visible radiation and the absorbed solar radiation at the surface by up to 28 and 23 Wm−2, respectively. Thus, quantitative study of UV and visible absorption by atmospheric constituents involved in homogeneous and heterogeneous C&P reactions is important for atmospheric models.

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Acknowledgments

The author gives special thanks to Prof. G.C. Wang, Susan M. Owen, David Owen and Alex Guenther for their suggestions and the help on the English manuscript, and all anonymous reviewers for their beneficial suggestions and thoughtful comments. This research was supported under field station foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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  1. LAGEO, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Jianhui Bai

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Bai, J. UV attenuation in the cloudy atmosphere. J Atmos Chem 62, 211–228 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-010-9149-y

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