Record Label : atmosphere_optical_thickness_due_to_water_in_ambient_aerosol_particles
Record Title : Atmosphere Optical Thickness due to Water in Ambient Aerosol Particles
CF Standard Name : atmosphere_optical_thickness_due_to_water_in_ambient_aerosol_particles
Record Description : The optical thickness is the integral along the path of radiation of a volume scattering/absorption/attenuation coefficient. The radiative flux is reduced by a factor exp(-optical_thickness) on traversing the path. The atmosphere optical thickness applies to radiation passing through the entire atmosphere. A coordinate variable of radiation_wavelength or radiation_frequency can be specified to indicate that the optical thickness applies at specific wavelengths or frequencies. "Aerosol" means the system of suspended liquid or solid particles in air (except cloud droplets) and their carrier gas, the air itself. "Ambient_aerosol" means that the aerosol is measured or modelled at the ambient state of pressure, temperature and relative humidity that exists in its immediate environment. "Ambient aerosol particles" are aerosol particles that have taken up ambient water through hygroscopic growth. The extent of hygroscopic growth depends on the relative humidity and the composition of the particles. "atmosphere_optical_thickness_due_to_water_in_ambient_aerosol" refers to the optical thickness due to the water that is associated with aerosol particles due to hygroscopic growth in ambient air, affecting the radius and refractive index of the particle. It corresponds to the difference between the total dry aerosol optical thickness and the total ambient aerosol optical thickness. The specification of a physical process by the phrase due_to_process means that the quantity named is a single term in a sum of terms which together compose the general quantity named by omitting the phrase.
Canonical Units : 1
MIP Variable : Aerosol Water Optical Thickness at 550nm