Parameterization of radiative transfer in the Earth's atmosphere with specific applications to clouds

The solar and infrared radiative transfer in the Earth's atmosphere is discussed. The main objectives are the development of time efficient radiative transfer methods for use in climate models and the determination of the radiative effects of clouds on atmospheric flux and heating rate profiles. A new two-stream method and a new broadband method for the transfer of fluxes have been developed. Both methods are based on adding principles. They explicitly account for multiple-scattering effects between reflecting layers. These methods are particularily suited for calculations in cloudy atmospheres. The results for fluxes and heating rates are within 5 percent of those obtained by an exact radiative transfer method.