Universal Spectrum for Atmospheric Suspended Particulates: Comparison with Observations, Data Set IV

Abstract

Atmospheric flows exhibit self-similar fractal space-time fluctuations manifested as the fractal geometry to global cloud cover pattern and inverse power law form for power spectra of meteorological parameters such as windspeed, temperature, rainfall, etc. Inverse power law form for power spectra indicates long-range space-time correlations or nonlocal connections and is a signature of self-organiszed criticality generic to dynamical systems in nature. The general systems theory discussed in Chaps. 1 and 2 predicts the observed self-organized criticality as a signature of quantum-like chaos in dynamical systems. The model predictions are as follows. (i) The fractal fluctuations can be resolved into an overall logarithmic spiral trajectory with the quasiperiodic Penrose tiling pattern for the internal structure. (ii) The probability distribution represents the power (variance) spectrum for fractal fluctuations and follows universal inverse power law form incorporating the golden mean. Such a result that the additive amplitudes of eddies when squared represent probability distribution is observed in the subatomic dynamics of quantum systems such as the electron or photon. Therefore, the irregular or unpredictable fractal fluctuations exhibit quantum-like chaos. (iii) Atmospheric aerosols are held in suspension by the vertical velocity distribution (spectrum). The atmospheric aerosol size spectrum is derived in terms of the universal inverse power law characterizing atmospheric eddy energy spectrum. Model-predicted spectrum is in agreement with the following two experimentally determined atmospheric aerosol data sets, (i) SAFARI 2000 CV-580 Aerosol Data, Dry Season 2000 (CARG), (ii) World Data Centre Aerosols data sets for the three stations Ny Ålesund, Pallas, and Hohenpeissenberg.