Variation of aerosol optical thickness and moisture content of the atmosphere in the area of Canary Islands

The aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and the columnar water vapor (CWV) of the atmosphere are the most important characteristics determining the radiation flux transformation. This paper summarized the results of investigations of the short-period variability of spectral AOT (0.37-1.06 μm) and CWV obtained during the four marine expeditions in the region of Canary Islands. From the geophysical standpoint this subtropical area of the Atlantic Ocean is of our main interest because it is located in an outlying area of dust emission from Western Sahara. Practical significance of this area is conditioned by active anthropogenic pollution, namely, a large number of health resort, an area of intensive fishery, navigation and so on. Instruments, operating instructions for measurement, calibration as well as separate results were published in the previous papers [1-3 et al.].