Nephelometers

The recent eruptions from an Icelandic volcano and its affect on stopping most air traffic in Europe has given a unique chance for scientists to measure global radiation balance. Scientists can measure the difference aerosols (from air traffic) have on light scatter but will also need to eliminate the affects of the volcano ash as mentioned in an article from Alister Doyle, Reuters.

These measurements are made with a backscatter nephelometer or a polar nephelometer and measure the amount of light that jet streams reflect back into space.

A nice video showing the magnitude of air traffic in europe demonstrates just how important understanding jet streams effect on global dimming really is.