Properties of the solar light propagation in the in homogeneous medium. The anomalous absorption effect

The radiative transfer in the cloudy atmosphere is studied using homogeneous, regular and fractal models of clouds. The effective optical thickness is introduced for estimation of albedo and transmission without solution of radiative transfer equation. The connection between the effective optical thickness and radiative characteristics of medium is evaluated. The anomalous absorption of solar radiation by clouds is explained by the inhomogeneity effect.