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Long-term Variability of Integral and Spectral Transparency of the Atmosphere at Mirny Observatory, Antarctica

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Abstract

The aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere obtained from spectral sun photometer measurements and the integral optical depth determined from standard actinometric observations of direct solar radiation are the parameters of the optical state of the atmosphere. The quantitative estimates of the integral transparency and aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere in Antarctica are presented, their long-term variability over the entire period of observations is analyzed. The comparison of obtained data with the estimates for other natural regions and conditions revealed that during the periods without the impact of volcanic eruptions, the levels of atmospheric aerosol turbidity in Antarctica over the recent decades are minimal on the planet and can be considered as global background characteristics.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are most grateful to the numerous co-researchers who have been performing field observations of integral and spectral characteristics of incoming solar radiation in Antarctica and over the World Ocean for decades within the framework of programs of the Soviet and Russian Antarctic expeditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, ul. Beringa 38, St. Petersburg, 199397, Russia

    V. F. Radionov, E. N. Rusina & E. E. Sibir

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  1. V. F. Radionov
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  2. E. N. Rusina
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  3. E. E. Sibir
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Correspondence to V. F. Radionov.

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Russian Text © The Author(s), 2020, published in Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya, 2020, No. 2, pp. 35–44.

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Radionov, V.F., Rusina, E.N. & Sibir, E.E. Long-term Variability of Integral and Spectral Transparency of the Atmosphere at Mirny Observatory, Antarctica. Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol. 45, 74–80 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373920020028

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