Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-353-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-353-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Moderate spectral resolution solar irradiance measurements, aerosol optical depth, and solar transmission, from 360 to 1070 nm, using the refurbished rotating shadow band spectroradiometer (RSS)
Joseph J. Michalsky
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
NOAA Global Radiation and Aerosols Department, Global Monitoring Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
Peter W. Kiedron
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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This study proves that upgraded ground sensors can accurately track atmospheric particles using solar infrared light. The performance of these sensors was evaluated across twelve diverse environments globally, from forests to islands, using trusted reference instruments. Even in cloudy locations, the upgraded sensors performed well. Under clear skies and with proper maintenance, their performance was near-perfect, offering powerful, reliable tools to better understand the atmospheric particles.
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The ozone in the atmosphere is measured by looking at the sun and measuring how diminished the light in the ultraviolet is relative to how bright it is above the Earth's atmosphere. This typically uses spectral instruments that are either costly or no longer manufactured. This paper uses a relatively inexpensive interference filter instrument to perform the same task. Daily ozone measurements with the latter and this filter instrument are compared. Aerosols are calculated as a by-product.
Evgueni Kassianov, Connor J. Flynn, Erol L. Cromwell, Gabe L. Gibler, John A. Augustine, Joseph J. Michalsky, Gary Hodges, Benjamin R. Sheffer, Hagen Telg, Lihong Ma, James C. Barnard, John E. Shilling, Damao Zhang, and Jennifer M. Comstock
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
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This study proves that upgraded ground sensors can accurately track atmospheric particles using solar infrared light. The performance of these sensors was evaluated across twelve diverse environments globally, from forests to islands, using trusted reference instruments. Even in cloudy locations, the upgraded sensors performed well. Under clear skies and with proper maintenance, their performance was near-perfect, offering powerful, reliable tools to better understand the atmospheric particles.
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We examine four equations for calculating infrared radiation (3–50 mm) measured with an Eppley PIR (Precision Infrared Radiometer) pyrgeometer. These equations are used to transfer calibrations from our standards calibrated at the World Radiation Center in Davos, Switzerland, to our field PIR pyrgeometers. A clear choice in terms of the most precise method to follow emerges from this study. Further, we evaluate the stability of the Eppley PIR, necessary for long-term trend analysis.
Joseph Michalsky and Glen McConville
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The ozone in the atmosphere is measured by looking at the sun and measuring how diminished the light in the ultraviolet is relative to how bright it is above the Earth's atmosphere. This typically uses spectral instruments that are either costly or no longer manufactured. This paper uses a relatively inexpensive interference filter instrument to perform the same task. Daily ozone measurements with the latter and this filter instrument are compared. Aerosols are calculated as a by-product.
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Short summary
This paper describes an instrument that measures spectrally from 360 nm (ultraviolet) to 1070 nm (near-infrared) at 1002 separate wavelengths. The measurements were made every minute from the late summer of 2009 to the winter of 2014 at a site in northern Oklahoma (USA; 36.605° N, 97.486° W). Methods are described that enable the normalized transmission across the spectrum to be measured and, subsequently, used to calculate the aerosol optical depth and spectra irradiance.
This paper describes an instrument that measures spectrally from 360 nm (ultraviolet) to 1070 nm...
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