Decadal changes in aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo estimated from ground‐based broadband radiometers: A case study in Japan

[1] A method to estimate aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo from broadband direct and diffuse irradiances was developed. Using irradiances simulated with and without errors, the accuracies of estimated optical thickness from 0.7 to 0.8 μm and single scattering albedo in the visible wavelength region were determined to be about 0.02 and 0.05, respectively. Resulting time variations in optical thickness and single scattering albedo by broadband radiometers agreed well with sky radiometer retrievals. Long-term variations in optical thickness and single scattering albedo from 1975 to 2008 at Tsukuba, Japan, were estimated by the method described. Optical thickness increased until the mid-1980s, then decreased until the late 1990s, and was almost constant in the 2000s. The single scattering albedo was about 0.8 until the late 1980s, gradually increased, and has remained at approximately 0.9 since the mid-1990s. The surface global irradiance under clear sky conditions calculated from estimated aerosol optical properties showed an apparent transition from dimming to brightening around the mid-1980s. The magnitude of the brightening was about 12.7 W m−2; of this, 8.3 W m−2 was due to a decrease in optical thickness, and the remaining 4.4 W m−2 was due to an increase of single scattering albedo. On the other hand, the surface global irradiance measured under cloudy conditions increased by 2.6 W m−2. The dimming and brightening by aerosols were weakened by the changes in clouds. The method described could be useful in evaluating aerosol influences on long-term changes in the surface solar radiation at many sites around the world.

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