Enhanced light absorption and reduced snow albedo due to internally mixed mineral dust in grains of snow

Mineral dust is a major light-absorbing aerosol, which can significantly reduce snow albedo and accelerate snow/glacier melting via wet and dry deposition on snow. In this study, three scenarios of internal mixing of dust in ice grains were analyzed theoretically by combining asymptotic radiative transfer theory and (core–shell) Mie theory to evaluate the effects on absorption coefficient and albedo of the semi-infinite snowpack consisting of spherical snow grains. In general, snow albedo was substantially reduced at wavelengths of