Preliminary Assessment of Aerosol Optical Loading in the Atmosphere over Makurdi, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

In this work, aerosol optical loading in the atmosphere over Majurdi was assessed using global solar radiation data from Gunn-Bellani Radiation Integrator for a period of ten years (2004 – 2013). Angstrom’s turbidity model was employed in this study. The results reveal that aerosol optical loading ranges from 0.280 to 0.571, while the turbidity coefficient ranges from 0.114 to 0.232. The highest and lowest aerosol optical loading over Makurdi were recorded in August (0.57) and December (0.28) during rainy and dry seasons respectively. This seasonal variation may probably be due to the effect of aerosol as condensation nuclei for cloud droplets. The Angstrom exponent value of 1.3 indicates that the coarse mode particles exist in Makurdi.

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WSN 199 (2025) 1-9

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