Approximate Methods of Calculating Transmission by Bands of Spectral Lines

This paper describes approximations that have been found useful in calculating the transmission of molecular gases in planetary atmospheres. This includes the use of band models and empirical models, but not the more complex "line by line" methods. A variety of techniques are described for dealing with the case of transmission through an atmospheric path which is inhomogeneous in the distribution of temperature, pressure and absorber concentration. An extensive bibliography is included.