The Transmission of Radiation Through an Inhomogeneous Atmosphere

The Curtis-Godson approximation for computing transmission along an inhomogeneous path is extended to include a higher moment of the density distribution. Numerical computations for typical situations indicate that the three-parameter model is a considerable improvement over the Curtis-Godson approximation, although the latter is surprisingly accurate for a wide range of conditions. The three-parameter model can be expressed in terms of an algebraic correction to the amount of absorbing matter.