The k-distribution method and correlated-k approximation for a shortwave radiative transfer model

Seiji Kato, Thomas P. Ackerman, James H. Mather, Eugene E. Clothiaux

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

239 Scopus citations

Abstract

Absorption cross sections are tabulated for water vapor, including continuum absorption, ozone, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the solar spectral region by adopting the k-distribution method. These tables are generated based on line-by-line code results for ranges of total pressure, temperature and water vapor concentration typical of values throughout the troposphere. These tables are incorporated into a shortwave radiative transfer code, which has 32 wavelength intervals across the solar spectrum, by using the correlated-k approximation in order to evaluate the accuracy in the broad band direct normal irradiance computation. A comparison of the direct normal irradiance with MODTRAN3 demonstrates that these tables can be used for shortwave broad band irradiance computations; the difference in the transmissivity is within 0.01 throughout most of the solar spectral region.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)109-121
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
Volume62
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1999

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Radiation
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Spectroscopy

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