Aerosol spectral optical depths: Jet fuel and forest fire smokes

The Ames autotracking airborne sun photometer was used to investigate the spectral optical depth between 380 and 1020 nm of smokes from a jet fuel pool fire and a forest fire in May and August 1988, respectively. Results show that the forest fire smoke exhibited a stronger wavelength dependence of optical depths than did the jet fuel fire smoke at optical depths less than unity. At optical depths greater than or equal to 1, both smokes showed neutral wavelength dependence, similar to that of an optically thin stratus deck. These results verify findings of earlier investigations and have implications both on the climatic impact of large‐scale smokes and on the wavelength‐dependent transmission of electromagnetic signals.