Bias in a Solar Constant Determination by the Langley Method Due to Aerosols

Abstract

The vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols generally differs from the vertical distribution of the molecular atmosphere. The resulting differences in the optical air masses of the aerosol and molecular constituents lead to a bias error in the solar constant inferred by the Langley method. Volcanic aerosols injected into the lower stratosphere can lead to large bias errors. These can be reduced significantly by using a lidar to provide relatively crude measurements of the vertical distribution of the aerosol extinction coefficient.