The Monte Carlo Methods In Atmospheric Optics

The Monte Carlo Methods in Atmospheric Optics

This monograph is devoted to urgent questions of the theory and applications of the Monte Carlo method for solving problems of atmospheric optics and hydrooptics. The importance of these problems has grown because of the increas ing need to interpret optical observations, and to estimate radiative balance precisely for weather forecasting. Inhomogeneity and sphericity of the atmos phere, absorption in atmospheric layers, multiple scattering and polarization of light, all create difficulties in solving these problems by traditional methods of computational mathematics. Particular difficulty arises when one must solve nonstationary problems of the theory of transfer of narrow beams that are connected with the estimation of spatial location and time characteristics of the radiation field. The most universal method for solving those problems is the Monte Carlo method, which is a numerical simulation of the radiative-transfer process. This process can be regarded as a Markov chain of photon collisions in a medium, which result in scattering or absorption. The Monte Carlo tech nique consists in computational simulation of that chain and in constructing statistical estimates of the desired functionals. The authors of this book have contributed to the development of mathemati cal methods of simulation and to the interpretation of optical observations. A series of general method using Monte Carlo techniques has been developed. The present book includes theories and algorithms of simulation. Numerical results corroborate the possibilities and give an impressive prospect of the applications of Monte Carlo methods.

Monte Carlo Methods in Atmospheric Optics

Short-Wave Solar Radiation in the Earth's Atmosphere

Based on data from an experiment which ran for ten years, this book summarizes the results of the Atmospheric Physics Department of the St. Petersburg University and the Main Geophysical Observatory. The processed data now forms a rich dataset of spectral values of radiative characteristics under different atmospheric conditions. The analysis of this database clearly shows that the solar radiative absorption in a dusty and cloudy atmosphere is significantly higher than assumed to date. Both graduate students of atmospheric sciences as well as scientists and researchers in the field of meteorology and climatology will find a wealth of new data and information in this monograph.