Light backscattering and scattering by nonspherical sea-salt aerosols

The scattering coefficient, single-scatter albedo, and up-scatter fraction are key parameters in direct climate forcing by aerosols. Usually the contribution of sea-salt is estimated using Mie theory, assuming that these particles are spherical. The optical properties of particles are known to strongly depend on the shape of the particles. The question of the applicability of using Mie theory in recent studies is mainly devoted to nonspherical dust-like tropospheric aerosols. In this study, we attempt to quantify the relative contribution of nonspherical sea-salt to measured scattering and backscattering coefficients. The shape of nonspherical sea-salt is assumed to be cubic. The discrete dipole approximation model is applied to estimate the optical properties of the nonspherical particles. Measurements are then compared to Mic theory calculations and to DDA cubic calculations. The results are presented for two wavelengths: lambda=0.55 mum and 0.7 mum. It is found that the size of particles responsible for scattering is larger than 0.3 mum. The backscattering coefficient, unlike the scattering coefficient, is very sensitive to particle shape. Cubic particles give better agreement to the measurements. Compared to spherical particles, the cubic approach underestimates the backscattering coefficient in contrast to prolate spheroidal calculations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.