AMFTRAN: A New Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Model for Calculating Air Mass Factors

The ability to properly interpret UV-visible absorptions of atmospheric chemical constituents in solar straylight is critically dependent on how well the optical path, or airmass factor, of light collected by the spectrometer is understood. Therefore a new Monte Carlo radiative transfer model (AMFTRAN) was developed. AMFTRAN is based on a Backward Monte Carlo approach, including full spherical and refractive geometry. It is able to calculate multiple scattered intensities as well as airmass factors for both satellite and groundbased observations.