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Light Scattering Reviews 8 pp 475–504Cite as

A review of fast radiative transfer techniques

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Abstract

Atmospheric radiative transfer involves gas absorption coupled with molecular Rayleigh scattering, in addition to scattering and absorption by clouds and aerosols. Further, computation of heating rates are dependent on absorption and emission of radiation, processes that have a complex dependence on various quantities. Typically, spectral regions contain several overlapping lines with intensities varying over many orders of magnitude. The most accurate method for computing the radiative terms in a molecular atmosphere involves a detailed line-by-line (LBL) calculation of the absorption coefficient versus wavenumber. However, direct numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation over frequency is in most cases too computationally expensive to be used on a routine basis. Therefore a variety of approximations have been developed to accelerate the computational process. This chapter discusses several of these techniques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Atmospheric Science, M/S 233-200 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA

    Vijay Natraj

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  1. Vijay Natraj
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Correspondence to Vijay Natraj .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Physics, Otto-Hahn-Allee NW 1, Bremen, 28359, Germany

    Alexander A. Kokhanovsky

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Natraj, V. (2013). A review of fast radiative transfer techniques. In: Kokhanovsky, A. (eds) Light Scattering Reviews 8. Springer Praxis Books(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32106-1_10

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