The effects of changes in wavelength and ambient conditions on the atmospheric backscatter at CO₂ wavelengths have been examined. It has been found that, with the exception of (NH₄)₂SO₄-containing aerosols, whose size distributions have relatively large numbers of small particles, the variation of backscatter with CO₂ wavelength is less than a factor of ~3. However, for such (NH₄)₂SO₄ aerosol distributions, the variation of backscatter function with CO₂ wavelengths between 9.1 and 11.1 µm may reach 1 order of magnitude. The effects of ambient humidity and temperature changes are negligibly small when the relative humidity is low (<75%). However, for a humid environment (>90%), a few percent change in humidity or a few degrees change in temperature may cause noticeable change in backscatter from aerosol particles of small sizes.

© 1983 Optical Society of America

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