8/27/2023

UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE CAMPINA GRANDE – UFCG

CENTRO DE TECNOLOGIA EM RECURSOS NATURAIS – CTRN
UNIDADE ACADÊMICA DE CIÊNCIAS ATMOSFÉRICAS – UACA
PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM METEOROLOGIA – PPGMET

Disciplina: Radiação Solar e Terrestre

Professor: Carlos A. C. dos Santos

Aula - 10
Porque Deus amou o mundo de tal maneira que deu o seu Filho unigênito, para que
todo aquele que nele crê não pereça, mas tenha a vida eterna. (João 3:16)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Campina Grande – PB

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass m

- When monochromatic radiation traverses a medium, each

molecule (or particle, in the case of aerosols) attenuates
energy.

- Attenuation is a function of the type and the number of

molecules in the path of a solar ray.

- The number of molecules a solar ray strikes before reaching

the ground is related to the distance traversed by the ray.

- Calculation of this distance, called the path length or angle path.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass (m)

- The density multiplied by the path length represents the mass

of a substance in a column of unit cross section; this is also
called the optical mass.

- The actual optical mass can be written

∞
𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑡 = න 𝜌 𝑑𝑠 (1)
0
where ds is the geometrical path length of the light ray from the
sun and  is the density of the substance at ds.

- The integration is along a path (s) (called the angle path) traversed
by the beam of radiation from the upper limits of the atmosphere to
the ground (or to a surface at a certain height).

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass (m)

- Since refraction is wavelength dependent, the angle path

varies with wavelength, and consequently Eq. (1) applies to
monochromatic radiation.

- When the sun is at its zenith, the light path goes straight
downward and ds equals the height of an element dz, where z is
the distance along the vertical direction.

- Thus the actual optical mass in the vertical direction is as

follows: ∞
𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑡,𝑣 = න 𝜌 𝑑𝑧 (2)
0

- The mass of a substance in a vertical column of unit cross section.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass (m)

- The relative optical mass (mr) is defined as the ratio of the

optical path along the oblique trajectory to the vertical path in
the zenith direction.

- Thus ∞ ∞
𝑚𝑟 = න 𝜌 𝑑𝑠൘න 𝜌 𝑑𝑧 (3)
0 0

- In the foregoing, the word "air" has been deliberately avoided

since attenuation of a solar beam takes place not only by dry
air molecules, but also by water vapor and aerosols, etc.

- Therefore, Eq. (3) should be solved separately for each one of

the attenuating components of the atmosphere.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass (m)

- Ignoring the earth's curvature and assuming that the

atmosphere is nonrefractive and completely homogeneous
(Fig. 5.6.1a), it can be seen that the relative optical mass applied
to all the atmospheric constituents is

𝑚′𝑟 = sec 𝜃𝑧 (4)

- The error in this equation, because the earth's curvature and

the refraction of the real atmosphere have been neglected, is
0.25% at 𝜽𝒛 = 60°, and increases to 10% at 𝜽𝒛 = 85°.

- However, density is actually variable with height.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.6 Relative Optical Path Length, Relative Optical Mass (m)

- Furthermore, because of the curvature of the earth and

refraction of the atmosphere, the angle path of the beam
radiation will follow the path OP (Fig. 5.6.1b).

- Therefore Eq. (3) has to be evaluated through integration along

the angle path and the zenith direction.

- The relative optical mass is obviously a function of the

distribution, with height, of atmospheric density and
refractive index: the relative mass from a mountain location will
be different from that recorded at sea level.

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.7 Relative Optical Dry Air Mass (ma)

- To solve Eq. (3), the density variation of an actual atmosphere

is required.

- However, this information is generally available only for a

Standard Atmosphere.

- From Kasten (1966), the above equation can be written as

(5)

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.7 Relative Optical Dry Air Mass (ma)

- Kasten solved this equation using the air density profile of the
ARDC Model Atmosphere 1959, and the refractive index at
wavelength 0.7 μm.

- Kasten presented tables of the relative optical air mass and the
following formula, which approximates his tables: (standard
pressure of 1013.25 mbars at sea level)
−𝟏.𝟐𝟓𝟑 −𝟏
𝒎𝒓 = 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽𝒛 + 𝟎. 𝟏𝟓 𝟗𝟑. 𝟖𝟖𝟓 − 𝜽𝒛 (6)

- For ground-level measurements, this formula is accurate to

better than 0.1% for zenith angles up to 86°. The greatest
deviation, 1.25%, occurs at 𝜽𝒛 = 89.5°.
- The error is slightly greater for measurements at very high
altitudes.

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.7 Relative Optical Dry Air Mass (ma)

- It is common to employ the following approximation to obtain the

relative optical air mass for local conditions:
𝒎𝐚 = 𝒎𝒓 𝒑/𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟑. 𝟐𝟓 (7)

where p is local pressure in millibars.

- In general, pressure correction must be applied to stations at

2000 m or higher.

- Even at stations not far above sea level, a pressure correction

is necessary if the difference between the standard and local
pressure is more than 20 mbars.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.7 Relative Optical Dry Air Mass (ma)

- The pressure above sea level may be obtained from

𝒑Τ𝒑𝟎 = 𝒆𝒙𝒑(−𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟏𝟏𝟖𝟒𝒛) (8)

where z is the station altitude in meters above sea level.

- In the preceding discussion, we have developed expressions for

the optical air mass; these will be used in the study of
attenuation of solar radiation by dry air molecules.

- The corresponding expressions for relative optical water vapor

mass and relative optical ozone mass (since ozone is
concentrated within a relatively thin layer) are now presented.

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.8 Relative Optical Water-Vapor Mass (mw)

- Equation (3) holds here as well; however, the density term in

this equation now refers to the density of water vapor.

- The vertical water-vapor density profile is very different from

that of dry air.

- Since water vapor is concentrated mainly in the lower layers of

the atmosphere, the limits of integration in this equation need
not go to upper limits of the atmosphere.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.8 Relative Optical Water-Vapor Mass (mw)

- Kasten (1966), on the basis of a study by Schnaidt (1938), has

developed the following formula:

−𝟏.𝟒𝟓𝟐 −𝟏
𝒎𝐰 = 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽𝒛 + 𝟎. 𝟎𝟓𝟒𝟖 𝟗𝟐. 𝟔𝟓𝟎 − 𝜽𝒛 (9)

- In the attenuation equations to be studied in the following

classes, (w)(relative optical water-vapor mass) appears as one
combined factor.

- The uncertainty involved in the accurate determination of w is

much greater than that in the determination of its relative
optical mass.

- Use of Eq. (4) is not encouraged at 𝜽𝒛 > 70° (see Table 5.8.1).

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.9 Relative Optical Ozone Mass (mo)

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.9 Relative Optical Ozone Mass (mo)

- Figure 5.3.2 gives the concentration profile of ozone in the

atmosphere.

- It is very different from the profiles of dry air or water vapor.

- Let us assume that all ozone is concentrated in a thin layer

centered at a height z3.

- Robinson (1966), through simple geometry, has shown the

following:
𝟏 + 𝒛𝟑 Τ𝒓𝒆
𝒎𝐨 = 𝟏 Τ𝟐
(10)
𝒄𝒐𝒔𝟐 𝜽𝒛 + 𝟐 𝒛𝟑 Τ𝒓𝒆

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.9 Relative Optical Ozone Mass (mo)

- Table 5.8.1 also lists the optical mass for ozone.

- At 𝜽𝒛 = 80°, mo is substantially different from the other optical

masses.

- In this table, ozone is assumed to be concentrated at a height of

22 km.

- The uncertainty involved in the accurate determination of

ozone layer thickness is much greater than that in
determination of its relative optical mass.

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5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.10 Relative Optical Aerosol Mass (md)

- Aerosols are the most uncertain parameters in calculating

solar radiation on the ground.

- They are highly variable in size, distribution, composition, and

optical properties.

- For lack of more information, the optical air mass (ma)[Eq. (7)]
will be employed to compute optical aerosol mass.

- It is necessary to draw attention again to the meaning of two

terms often used in the literature: relative optical mass and
absolute optical mass.

5 - A CLOUDLESS-SKY ATMOSPHERE AND ITS OPTICS

5.10 Relative Optical Aerosol Mass (md)

- In this text…

• relative means relative to the zenith direction, whether or not

the local conditions are at standard temperature and
pressure.

• absolute optical mass is defined by Eq. (1).

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