On the influence of aerosol extinction vertical profile in modeling of night sky radiance

Atmospheric aerosol particles are one of the crucial elements forming the night sky radiance pattern as well as the total amount of detected scattered light originating from artificial sources. The way they contribute to light pollution is simultaneously determined by their optical properties and their distri-bution in the atmosphere. In order to facilitate the night sky brightness modeling, the latter factor is typically characterized by simplified models of the vertical profile of the aerosol extinction coefficient. Some previous case studies have shown that an actual aerosol profile can yield a quite different radi-ance distribution compared to the standardly used models. This paper presents the results of numerical experiments performed using Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations to assess the effect of various models of the vertical aerosol profile (exponential profile, boundary layer, elevated layer) on the artificial night sky radiance. The findings reveal that the mutual deviations of predicted radiances can be tens of percent. It implies that the stratification of atmospheric aerosol needs to be given more significant and in-depth consideration in sky glow modeling.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.