The aerosol model describes the meteorological range for the ground boundary layer (0 to 2 km altitude). The default visibility parameter can be increased or decreased for each model.
This model is best used in regions where there are no appreciable industrial processes. Water soluble materials make up 70% of the aerosols, with the remaining made up of dust like aerosols. The rural and urban models were developed by Shettle and Fenn.
The urban aerosol adds effects from industrial processes. The rural aerosol mixture makes up 80%, while the remaining 20% is carbonaceous aerosols. The rural and urban models were developed by Shettle and Fenn.
This model is adapted for marine aerosol and includes aerosol size distributions taken by a number of sources. The model depends on a wind speed. The wind speed varies based on the atmospheric model, which is summarized in Table 1. The Navy Aerosol Model was developed by Gathman.
| Atmosphere Model | Wind Speed (m/s) |
|---|---|
| Tropical | 4.1 |
| Mid-latitude Summer | 4.1 |
| Mid-latitude Winter | 10.29 |
| Sub-arctic Summer | 6.69 |
| Sub-arctic Winter | 12.35 |
| US Standard 1976 | 7.2 |
The desert aerosol model was first proposed by Longtin et al. and uses three major components (carbonaceous particles, water soluble particles, and sand) to describe the effect. Each component has a different log normal size distribution and set of indices of refraction.