Mexico City is plagued with both high ozone and aerosol concentrations. Ozone absorbs radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, and aerosols can both absorb and scatter radiation in the UV spectrum. Urban chemistry models have largely neglected pollution effects on radiation. The Tropospheric U... Show moreMexico City is plagued with both high ozone and aerosol concentrations. Ozone absorbs radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, and aerosols can both absorb and scatter radiation in the UV spectrum. Urban chemistry models have largely neglected pollution effects on radiation. The Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV, version 4.0a) radiation model was compared to NOâ photolysis rates measured in Mexico City. Because of a lack of aerosol property data at the measurement sites, aerosol optical properties measured during Project Azteca, a ground based study on the northeast slope of Mexico City, were used in the model simulations. The maximum optical depths measured during Azteca are comparable to those measured at the research sites in the basin. The model compares well to the experimental data with a maximum of 10% deviation. More comprehensive aerosol and J(NOâ) measurements are needed to increase the confidence of this comparison. Show less
