Abstract
A summary of factors affecting the atmospheric turbidity is given. Data on aerosol optical depth and atmospheric turbidity coefficients (i.e., the Linke factor, T, and Angstrom coefficient, beta ) calculated from measurements of broadband filters at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (desert climate), are reported. A linear regression model fitted to beta vs. T for Dhahran is similar to the models reported for Avignon, France, and Potsdam, Germany (temperate climates). The coefficients of the Dhahran model are different from the approximately equal coefficients of the Avignon and Potsdam models. The variation in the monthly average values of beta and T at Dhahran is of a similar trend to that of Avignon and Potsdam. However, Dhahran has shown higher values of atmospheric turbidity coefficients than Avignon and Potsdam because of the former's desert climate.