Accounting for black carbon refractive index in atmospheric radiation

Abstract Because of the fractal aggregated structure of black carbon (BC), black carbon refractive index measurements are difficult. There are substantial differences among the over 40 existing measurement schemes and no two schemes are the same. Three typical BC refractive index schemes are chosen to explore the difference in black carbon optical properties and the consequences of the radiative effect. Two schemes are widely used in climate models, and the third is from a newer measurement in 2016. It is shown that black carbon optical properties are sensitive to different refractive indices. The relative differences in extinction coefficient and single scattering albedo can be over 100%. In addition, by using Maxwell–Garnett and Bruggeman mixing rules, it has been found that the effect of internal mixing on aerosol optical properties depends strongly on the choice of refractive index. Using a one‐dimensional radiative transfer model under clear‐sky conditions, we demonstrate that the choice of black carbon refractive index influences the inferred radiative effect. Using the more recent (2016) scheme for pure black carbon can increase the top‐of‐atmosphere radiative effect by 20% relative to the currently widely used lowest‐absorbing scheme. For internally mixed aerosol, the sign of the radiative effect can change depending on which refractive index is used.