Surface Temperature Graph Analysis

According to information collected throughout November and December, surface temperatures are directly affected by aerosol optical thickness and the percent transmission of sunlight coming through the aerosols. Our class recorded the temperatures of various surfaces (ex., grass, artificial turf, tennis court, asphalt, concrete, bare earth) along with the AOT and percent transmission and compiled a graph of the information. The graph tells readers that the AOT and percent transmission are inversely related, meaning that the thicker the aerosols are, the less sunlight will travel to the surfaces recorded. For example, on a particular day, the AOT was recorded as 0.2664 and the percent transmission as 77, whereas a few days later the AOT was recorded as 1.6054 and the percent transmission as 20. This trend was consistent throughout the two months the information was collected. The AOT sets up a chain reaction for the surface temperatures: the more aerosols in the air, the less sunlight will reach the earth. The less sunlight reaching the earth, the lower the surface temperatures. Sunlight warms the earth, so it is obvious that the percent transmission and surface temperatures directly correlate.