ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING OF SOLAR ENERGY IN CLOUDS OF “LARGE WATER DROPS”—II

Abstract

A brief description of the basic method used to compute the absorption of solar energy in clouds is given. The numerical results of computations are presented. These include: 1. the absorption in thick clouds as a function of wavelength; 2. the total absorption in thick clouds as a function of certain cloud parameters; and 3. the absorption as a function of thickness for a particular cloud. The effect of the water vapor above the cloud on absorption in the cloud is discussed; the influence of the sun's zenith distance is indicated. For some cases, the albedo of the clouds is also given.