Atmospheric aerosols, atmospheric optics and visibility

The atmospheric aerosol particles are a minority component in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the aerosol particles are responsible for 90% of the optical properties of the atmosphere in a remote continental environment and up to 99% in an urban environment. The optical properties of the aerosol, such as the volume scattering function and the extinction coefficient depend very much on the aerosol. The type of aerosol and their physical properties can cause considerable visibility variation.