References: Acidic Deposition:State of Science and Technology (report 24) 1990 Visibility: Existing and Historical Conditions – Causes and Effects Introduction to Visibility (WC Malm) issn (CIRA-CSU)
What is Visibility? n Historically visibility was thought of in terms of the furthest distance one could see a large black object. n From a scenic vista perspective, there’s more interest in color, line, texture, and form of a scenic landscape feature.
How far can you see?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Yosemite National Park
Glacier National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Big Bend National Park
Layered Hazes
The Seeing of a Landscape Feature
Relationship Between Aerosols and Optical Properties
The extinction coefficient is made up of particle and gas scattering and absorption: where s, a, g, and p refer to scattering, absorption, gases, and particles, respectively. Extinction =
Scattering Efficiency (Q)
Single Particle Efficiency
Particle Size Distribution
Scattering Efficiency as Function of Size
Carbon Extinction Efficiency
Phase Function for Soil and Sulfate
Phase Function for Carbon
Forward and Backward Scattering
On the Nature of Light n Wave-like characteristics of light n Electromagnetic radiation n Photons and color n Why objects are colored n Atmospheric optical effects
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