Chemistry, Physics and Radiative Impacts of Aerosols in Sydney Australia

Over the past three years, we have been measuring aerosol properties in Sydney, Australia, using a variety of techniques. We have determined columnar size distribution from multispectral extinction measurements (using an MFRSR), which have been inverted using both the analytic eigenfunction theory and constrained linear inversion methods. We have also collected filter samples and subjected these to ion beam analysis to determine their elemental composition. From this information and a chemical model, refractive index could be estimated. Single scattering albedo was estimated using the direct-to-diffuse method. Using this input data, we have computed the monthly averaged optical thickness, phase function and single scattering albedo, and their spectral variation. This data was then fed into a radiative transfer code to compute the broad band radiative forcing and shortwave absorption of these aerosols.