Articles | Volume 8, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-481-2008
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-481-2008
05 Feb 2008
 | 05 Feb 2008

Some considerations about Ångström exponent distributions

F. Wagner and A. M. Silva

Abstract. A simulation study has been performed in order to show the influence of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) distribution together with the corresponding error distribution on the resulting Ångström exponent (AE) distribution. It will be shown that the Ångström exponent frequency of occurrence distribution is only normal distributed when the relative error at the two wavelengths used for estimation of the Ångström exponent is the same. In all other cases a shift of the maximum of the AE-distribution will occur. It will be demonstrated that the Ångström exponent (or the maximum of an AE distribution) will be systematically over- or underestimated depending on whether the relative error of the shorter wavelength is larger or smaller compared with the relative error of the longer wavelength. In such cases the AE distribution are also skewed.

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