@article {27037,
	title = {Larger than expected variation range in the real part of the refractive index for ambient aerosols in China},
	journal = {Science of the Total EnvironmentScience of the Total Environment},
	volume = {779},
	year = {2021},
	note = {Export Date: 7 June 2021},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {The real part of the refractive index (RRI) of ambient aerosol, which is widely used in remote sensing and atmospheric models, is one of the key factors determining its particles\&$\#$039; optical properties. The characteristics of ambient aerosol RRI in China have not yet been well studied owing to a lack of observations. For the first time, the properties of aerosol RRI were studied based on field measurements in China at four sites with different atmospheres. The results revealed that the measured ambient aerosol RRI varied significantly between 1.36 and 1.78, increasing with the mass ratio of organic components. The scattering coefficient and direct radiative effects of the aerosols were estimated to increase by factors of 2 and 3, respectively, when RRI increased from 1.36 to 1.78. Our results indicate that variation in ambient aerosol RRI should be considered in aerosol and climate models to achieve an accurate estimation of aerosol\&$\#$039;s radiative impacts. {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier B.V.},
	keywords = {aerosol, aerosols, ambient aerosol, Ambient aerosols, article, Atmospheric model, China, climate, climate modeling, Climate models, Key factors, light scattering, Optical property, Optical-, Particle optical properties, Property, radiative properties, Radiative property, Real part, refraction index, Refractive index, Remote sensing, Remote sensing models, Variations ranges},
	author = {Zhao, G. and Hu, M. and Fang, X. and Tan, T. and Xiao, Y. and Du, Z. and Zheng, J. and Shang, D. and Wu, Z. and Guo, S. and Zhao, C.}
}
