Growth in the atmospheric aerosol concentration as a climate forcing agent

The level of scattered radiation is analyzed using data of diurnal solar coronograph observations at the Mountain Astronomic Station in the period 1957-2010 around coronal spectral lines at 5303 and 6374 . The observations were performed near the solar limb and were normalized by the intensity of the solar disk center. The measurements revealed variations on different timescales: seasonal variations, local maxima on timescales of a few years, and long-term trends. The local changes in the level of scattered radiation were found to be probably due to volcanic eruptions. An analysis revealed a tendency towards an increased in scattered radiation by approximately 40% during the last 50 years. The variations in the level of scattered radiation are compared with the concentration of atmospheric aerosols. The long-term growth in scattered radiation compares well with changes in the Earth's near-surface temperature and is possibly associated with global climate change.