To test the applicability of Mie theory in climate models and remote sensing data retrievals, we have studied the scattering phase function and linear polarization of representative mineral dust ...aerosol components at a wavelength of 550 nm. The mineral components investigated include the silicate clays, kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite, and non‐clay minerals, quartz, calcite, gypsum, and hematite, as well as Arizona road dust. In each case the aerosol size distribution was simultaneously monitored with an aerodynamic particle sizer. Particle diameters in this study fall in the accumulation mode size range characteristic of long‐range transport aerosols. Our results show significant discrepancies between the experimental and Mie theory phase functions. The model shortcomings are due to particle shape effects for these non‐spherical mineral dust particles. We find intriguing differences in the scattering between the silicate clay and non‐clay components of mineral dust aerosol in this size range. For the non‐clay minerals the most significant errors are found at large scattering angles where Mie theory substantially overestimates the backscattering signal. For the silicate clay minerals, there is more variability in the comparison to Mie theory. These findings have important consequences for the radiative forcing component of global climate models and remote sensing measurements that rely on Mie theory to characterize atmospheric dust. We also present experimentally based synthetic phase functions at 550 nm, for both silicate clay and non‐clay mineral dust aerosols in the size parameter range X = 2–5, which may be useful for empirical models of the scattering due to particles in the accumulation mode size range.
Optical properties, including infrared (IR) extinction and visible light scattering of mineral dust aerosol, are measured experimentally and compared to modeling results using T‐matrix theory. The ...work includes studies of complex, authentic field samples of Saharan sand, Iowa loess, and Arizona road dust (ARD). Particle size distributions and aerosol optical properties are measured simultaneously. These authentic dust samples are treated as external mixtures of mineral components. The mineral compositions for the Saharan sand and Iowa loess samples have been reported by Laskina et al. 2012, and the mineralogy for ARD is derived here using a similar method. T‐matrix‐based simulations, using measured particle size distributions and a priori particle shape models, are carried out for each mineral component of the authentic samples. The simulated optical properties for the complex dust mixtures are obtained by a weighted average of the properties of the mineral components, based on a given sample mineralogy. T‐matrix simulations are then directly compared with the measured IR extinction spectra and visible light scattering phase function and linear polarization profiles for each sample. Generally good agreement between experiment and theory is obtained. Model simulations that account for differences in particle shape with mineralogy and include a broad range of eccentric spheroid shape parameters offer a significant improvement over more commonly applied models that ignore variations in particle shape with size or mineralogy and include only a moderate range of shape parameters.
Key Points
IR extinction and visible light scattering of mineral dust are studied
Laboratory measurements are compared with T‐Matrix modeling results
Good agreement between experiment and theory is found
Mineral dust aerosol plays an important role in determining the physical and chemical equilibrium of the atmosphere. The radiative balance of the Earth's atmosphere can be affected by mineral dust ...through both direct and indirect means. Mineral dust can directly scatter or absorb incoming visible solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial IR radiation. Dust particles can also serve as cloud condensation nuclei, thereby increasing albedo, or provide sites for heterogeneous reactions with trace gas species, which are indirect effects. Unfortunately, many of these processes are poorly understood due to incomplete knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of the particles including dust concentration and global distribution, as well as aerosol composition, mixing state, and size and shape distributions. Much of the information about mineral dust aerosol loading and spatial distribution is obtained from remote sensing measurements which often rely on measuring the scattering or absorption of light from these particles and are thus subject to errors arising from an incomplete understanding of the scattering processes. The light scattering properties of several key mineral components of atmospheric dust have been measured at three different wavelengths in the visible. In addition, measurements of the scattering were performed for several authentic mineral dust aerosols, including Saharan sand, diatomaceous earth, Iowa loess soil, and palagonite. These samples include particles that are highly irregular in shape. Using known optical constants along with measured size distributions, simulations of the light scattering process were performed using both Mie and T-Matrix theories. Particle shapes were approximated as a distribution of spheroids for the T-Matrix calculations. It was found that the theoretical model simulations differed markedly from experimental measurements of the light scattering, particularly near the mid-range and near backscattering angles. In many cases, in the near backward direction, theoretical models predicted scattering intensities for near spherical particles that were up to 3 times higher than the experimentally measured values. It was found that better agreement between simulations and experiments could be obtained for the visible scattering by using a much wider range of more eccentric particle shapes.
Mineral dust aerosol plays an important role in determining the physical and chemical equilibrium of the atmosphere. The radiative balance of the Earth's atmosphere can be affected by mineral dust ...through both direct and indirect means. Mineral dust can directly scatter or absorb incoming visible solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial IR radiation. Dust particles can also serve as cloud condensation nuclei, thereby increasing albedo, or provide sites for heterogeneous reactions with trace gas species, which are indirect effects. Unfortunately, many of these processes are poorly understood due to incomplete knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of the particles including dust concentration and global distribution, as well as aerosol composition, mixing state, and size and shape distributions. Much of the information about mineral dust aerosol loading and spatial distribution is obtained from remote sensing measurements which often rely on measuring the scattering or absorption of light from these particles and are thus subject to errors arising from an incomplete understanding of the scattering processes.
The light scattering properties of several key mineral components of atmospheric dust have been measured at three different wavelengths in the visible. In addition, measurements of the scattering were performed for several authentic mineral dust aerosols, including Saharan sand, diatomaceous earth, Iowa loess soil, and palagonite. These samples include particles that are highly irregular in shape. Using known optical constants along with measured size distributions, simulations of the light scattering process were performed using both Mie and T-Matrix theories. Particle shapes were approximated as a distribution of spheroids for the T-Matrix calculations.
It was found that the theoretical model simulations differed markedly from experimental measurements of the light scattering, particularly near the mid-range and near backscattering angles. In many cases, in the near backward direction, theoretical models predicted scattering intensities for near spherical particles that were up to 3 times higher than the experimentally measured values. It was found that better agreement between simulations and experiments could be obtained for the visible scattering by using a much wider range of more eccentric particle shapes.
Remipedia is a stygobitic group commonly associated with coastal anchialine caves. This class consists of 12 genera, ten of which are found within the Lucayan Archipelago. Herein, we describe a new ...species within the genus Godzillius from Conch Sound Blue Hole, North Andros Island, Bahamas. Godzillius louriei sp. nov. is the third known remipede observed from a subseafloor marine cave, and the first from the Godzilliidae. Remipedes dwell within notoriously difficult to access cave habitats and thus integrative and comprehensive systematic studies at family or genus level are often absent in the literature. In this study, all species of Godzillius are compared using morphological and molecular approaches. Specifically, the feeding appendages of G. louriei sp. nov., G. fuchsi Gonzalez, Singpiel & Schlagner, 2013 and G. robustus Schram, Yager & Emerson, 1986 were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Species of Godzillius are identified based on the spines of maxilla 1 segment 4 and by the denticles on the lacinia mobilis of the left mandible. A molecular phylogeny using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and nuclear histone 3 genes recovered G. louriei sp. nov. within the Godzillius clade and 16S genetic distances revealed a 13–15% difference between species of Godzillius.
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