Atmospheric Scattering of the Solar Flux in the Middle Ultraviolet

Spectra in the middle uv obtained on a rocket flight by a spectrometer pointed downward at the earth are compared with synthetic spectra generated by a computer. The independent variables of the synthetic spectra are the altitude of the detector, the wavelength, the zenith angles of the sun and of the detector line-of-sight, the azimuth difference between them, and three parameters characterizing the ozone distribution. In the altitude range of primary interest only two of the ozone parameters are free. Taken into account are the roundness of the earth, first-order Rayleigh scattering by the atmosphere, attenuation by air, absorption by molecular oxygen and ozone, and the line structure in the solar spectrum. The effects on the synthetic spectra of varying the parameters of the ozone distribution and the geometric parameters are also studied.