Evaluation of the new ESR network software for the retrieval of direct sun products from CIMEL CE318 and PREDE POM01 sun-sky radiometers

Abstract. The European Skynet Radiometers network (EuroSkyRad or ESR) has been recently established as a research network of European PREDE sun-sky radiometers. Moreover, ESR is federated with SKYNET, an international network of PREDE sun-sky radiometers mostly present in East Asia. In contrast to SKYNET, the European network also integrates users of the CIMEL CE318 sky–sun photometer. Keeping instrumental duality in mind, a set of open source algorithms has been developed consisting of two modules for (1) the retrieval of direct sun products (aerosol optical depth, wavelength exponent and water vapor) from the sun extinction measurements; and (2) the inversion of the sky radiance to derive…

In-situ integrating nephelometer measurements of the scattering properties of atmospheric aerosols at an urban coastal site in western Mediterranean

Abstract Measurements of aerosol scattering properties obtained during the period from March 2006 to December 2010 at Valencia (Spain) have been analyzed. The total aerosol scattering (σsp) and backscattering (σbsp) coefficients were measured using a TSI Model 3563 three-wavelength integrating nephelometer. From the measurements of σsp and σbsp, it was possible to determine also the scattering Angstrom exponent (αs). For the entire measurement period, the mean values (±standard deviation) at 550 nm are: 80 ± 50 Mm−1 for σsp; 8 ± 5 Mm−1 for σbsp; and 1.6 ± 0.3 for αs. These results indicate a moderate polluted atmosphere characterized by fine particles. The daily variation for all seasons sh…

UV Index experimental values on vertical surfaces

UV erythemal irradiance (UVER) has been studied on a horizontal plane and on vertical surfaces with different orientations in Valencia, Spain. The evolution of the solar noon value and the maximum daily value over a year has been analysed from the instantaneous UVER taken every five minutes on the horizontal plane and on vertical surfaces with north, south, east and west orientations. The annual evolution of these values shows a sinusoidal form for all planes except for the vertical south plane with maxima in spring and autumn. The UV Index (UVI) on these planes was also determined. The percentage of coincidence of the UVI at solar noon and of the maximum daily UVER values, considering diff…

Approaches to partitioning the global UVER irradiance into its direct and diffuse components in Valencia, Spain

[1] The paper explores methods of partitioning the hourly average UV erythemal flux into its direct and diffuse components for Valencia, Spain. It is shown that the cloud modification factor, the ratio of measured to cloudless erythemal flux relates linearly to the fraction of the measured irradiance that is diffuse. This relationship was developed further into two simple models- a linear and nonlinear one. The models are characterized by an effective cloud cover to partition the global erythemal flux. The diffuse fraction increases linearly with cloud cover in the linear model, but exponentially in the nonlinear one. The models may be used to partition the direct and diffuse irradiance wit…

Design of a sun tracker for the automatic measurement of spectral irradiance and construction of an irradiance database in the 330-1100 nm range

Abstract An automatic global and direct solar spectral irradiance system has been designed based on two LICOR spectroradiometers equipped with fibre optics and remote cosine sensors. To measure direct irradiance a sun tracker based on step motors has been developed. The whole system is autonomous and works continuously. From the measurements provided by this system a spectral irradiance database in the 330–1100 nm range has been created. This database contains normal direct and global horizontal irradiances as well as diffuse irradiance on a horizontal plane, together with total atmospheric optical thickness and aerosol optical depth.

A preliminary assessment of a detailed two stream short-wave narrow-band model using spectral radiation measurements

Abstract A data bank of measurements of global, direct and diffuse solar spectral irradiances at ground level for clear skies has been compiled for Valencia (Spain) dating back to December 1992. The measurements were made with a commercial Li-cor 1800 spectroradiometer with a range of 300–1100 nm and a spectral resolution of 6 nm. A preliminary comparative assessment has been carried out between the experimental data and model data. The chosen model was a detailed narrow-band model (208 spectral intervals from 0.2 to 4 μm) developed at the “Laboratoire d'Optique Atmospherique (LOA)” of the University of Lille (France). This plane-parallel multilayer model uses a two-flux method to solve the…

Aerosol optical characteristics from a summer campaign in an urban coastal Mediterranean area

The authors present a preliminary study of some optical properties of atmospheric aerosols over the area of Valencia, Spain, a coastal Mediterranean city. Measurements of spectral direct irradiance in the 300-1100 nm range were taken simultaneously at three sites: rural-continental, rural-coastal, and urban-coastal, all located within a 50 km radius of the city of Valencia. The irradiance measurements were obtained using three Li-cor 1800 spectroradiometers provided with radiance limiting tubes with field of views (FOVs) of 4.7/spl deg/. The measurements were made under clear sky conditions during a field campaign carried out in the summer of 1998. In order to avoid the uncertainties associ…

Column-integrated aerosol optical properties in Sodankylä (Finland) during the Solar Induced Fluorescence Experiment (SIFLEX-2002).

[1] A study has been made of the column aerosols using solar irradiance extinction measurements at ground level in a boreal region (Sodankyla, Finland) during spring 2002. The aerosol properties have been related to air mass origin. In general, the aerosol levels were observed to be very low, independent of the air mass origin, with an aerosol optical depth (AOD) value at 500 nm of less than 0.09 ± 0.03. Two characteristic patterns were observed depending on whether the air masses originated in the north and west or from the south and east. In the first case (north and west origins) the aerosol load was very small, with very low optical depths in the range 0.03 ± 0.02 to 0.09 ± 0.03 for 500…

Ten years of measured UV Index from the Spanish UVB Radiometric Network.

An analysis is made of the UV Index (UVI) obtained from the ultraviolet erythemal solar radiation (UVER) data measured by the Spanish UVB Radiometric Network between the years 2000 and 2009. Previously, the daily UVI has been evaluated using two different criteria: (a) the value corresponding to solar noon; and (b) the daily maximum value. The mean percentage of agreement is 92% if we consider the cases for which the difference is zero or one UVI unit. These results are similar to those obtained in a previous work where only 2 years were analyzed. In all the stations the UVI reaches very high values (8-10) in spring-summer, and the very high and extreme (≥ 11) UVI values are more dependent …

Analysis of a severe pollution episode in Valencia (Spain) and its effect on ground level particulate matter

Abstract This study analyzes the atmospheric particles concentration at ground level during a severe pollution event that took place in Valencia (Spain) from 7 to 12 February 2011. The episode was related to a subtropical anticyclone system that affected the Iberian Peninsula and western Europe. The dominant anticyclone imposed an extended low gradient pressure system and a low mixing layer height in the region that caused the accumulation of pollutants over the western Mediterranean. Moreover, the stagnant conditions led to the formation of the local sea breeze, accompanied by an increase of relative humidity and the decrease of ambient temperature. Our study is mainly focused on the analy…

A comparative study of SPCTRAL2 and SMARTS2 parameterised models based on spectral irradiance measurements at Valencia, Spain

Abstract Results obtained using the parametric models SPCTRAL2 and SMARTS2 for the urban area of Valencia, Spain, have been analysed and compared with experimental measurements at ground level obtained with two Li-cor 1800 spectroradiometers with a 6 nm resolution. The study used two different input parameters in both models for the aerosol characterisation: the aerosol optical thickness at 0.5  μ m, τ a λ (0.5) , and the Angstrom turbidity coefficient β . The results obtained show that both algorithms reproduce quite correctly the spectral irradiance experimental values when an urban aerosol model parameterised by the τ a λ (0.5) value is considered. In all the cases the deviations are low…

Characterization of the atmosphere during SEN2FLEX 2005 field campaign

The European Space Agency carried out the Sentinel-2 and Fluorescence Experiment (SEN2FLEX) campaign in Barrax (Spain) during the summer of 2005, with the main objective of observe solar induced fluorescence signal using the AirFLEX airborne instrument over different vegetation targets in order to verify signal suitability for observations from space as proposed in the FLEX mission. A highly precise atmospheric correction is mandatory for adequate measurements of the AirFLEX instrument; thus a complete characterization of the atmosphere was programmed in SEN2FLEX in order to document the presence of atmospheric aerosols above the experimental area, as their effects represent the major sourc…

Intercomparison of spectroradiometers for global and direct solar irradiance in the visible range.

This paper presents the results of the analysis of the spectral, global, and direct solar irradiance measurements in the visible range (400–700 nm) that were made in the framework of the first Iberian UV–visible (VIS) instruments intercomparison. The instruments used in this spectral range were four spectroradiometers: three Licor 1800s equipped with different receiver optics and one Optronic 754. For the direct solar irradiance measurements the spectroradiometers were equipped with collimators with different fields of view. Parallel studies have been carried out with the data given by the spectroradiometers with their original calibration file and with the same data that is corrected, foll…

Experimental values of the UV index during 2000 at two locations in Mediterranean Spain

During the past 2 years automatic measurements of UVB solar irradiance have been made sstematically at ground level at a number of points in Spain. Values for both the ultraviolet erythemal radiation and the ultraviolet index (UVI) have been obtained from these measurements. In this paper we present a first analysis of these values for two locations on the Spanish Mediterranean coast—Valencia and Barcelona—an area where a large part of the summer tourism of the country is concentrated. During the summer the UVI only reached ten on three occasions, though a value of nine was reached repeatedly (both classified as extreme risk by the World Health Organization). It has been shown that, in 90% …

Estimation of daily average values of the Ångström turbidity coefficient β using a Corrected Yang Hybrid Model

This paper aims to test a method for estimating daily values of atmospheric turbidity from non-specialized data, such as those obtained from agro-meteorological stations. This method allows estimating the spatial and temporal evolution of aerosols concentration in more places than just those in which direct measurements are available. The method is based on the Corrected Yang Hybrid Model (CYHM). The data used in the determination of errors between measured and estimated values of the daily Angstrom turbidity coefficient β were recorded in Valencia, Spain, during 2009 and 2011. These data were global solar irradiance, direct solar irradiance, temperature, relative humidity and Aerosol Optic…

Climatology of the aerosol extinction-to-backscatter ratio from sun-photometric measurements

The elastic lidar equation contains two unknown atmospheric parameters, namely, the particulate optical extinction and backscatter coefficients, which are related through the lidar ratio (i.e., the particulate-extinction-to-backscatter ratio). So far, independent inversion of the lidar signal has been carried out by means of Raman lidars (usually limited to nighttime measurements), high-spectral-resolution lidars, or scanning elastic lidars under the assumption of a homogeneously vertically stratified atmosphere. In this paper, we present a procedure to obtain the lidar ratio at 532 nm by a combined Sunphotometer– aerosol-model inversion, where the viability of the solution is largely reinf…

Ultraviolet radiation protection by a beach umbrella.

A beach umbrella intercepts all direct UV irradiance, but only part of the diffuse component. Using a simple sky view factor model, we have determined the fraction of the hemispheric diffuse irradiance that is not intercepted by the umbrella. Assuming a sensor at the surface and close to the center of the umbrella, isotropic diffuse irradiance and for an umbrella of 80 cm radius and 100 cm high, our results show that approximately 34% of the incident horizontal irradiance is not intercepted by the umbrella. These results agree with irradiance measurements conducted with and without the umbrella. The model is next extended to examine receipt of UV radiation by a human figure in a vertical po…

Influence of cloudiness over the values of erythemal radiation in Valencia, Spain

The influence of cloudiness over experimental UV erythemal radiation (UVER) has been studied. This influence has been analysed considering total cloudiness and low clouds. The measurements of cloudiness correspond to the daily values registered at 13:00 GMT at the Meteorological Centre of Valencia, which is part of the State Agency of Meteorology of Spain (AEMET). The UVER measurements were made using a YES UVB-1 radiometer located on the roof terrace of the Physics Faculty at the Burjassot Campus, Valencia (latitude 39.508° , longitude − 0.418° , 60 m above sea level). First, a statistical analysis of cloudiness at 13:00 GMT in Valencia was carried out, confirming that the situation is mai…

The UV Index on the Spanish Mediterranean Coast¶

An analysis is made of measured ultraviolet erythemal solar radiation (UVER) data recorded during the year 2003 by the networks of the Catalan Weather Service and the Environment Department of Valencia (both on the Spanish Mediterranean coast). Results show a latitudinal variation at sea level, of 3-4% per degree and an increase with altitude of 10% per km. Based on these data the UV Index has been evaluated for the measuring stations. The maximum experimental value of the UV Index was around 9 during the summer, although higher values were recorded at two stations, one at the highest elevation and the other at the lowest latitude. The annual accumulated doses of irradiation on a horizontal…

Study of erythemal, UV (A + B) and global solar radiation in Valencia (Spain)

Although ultraviolet B radiation (UVB), the solar radiation band between 280 and 315 nm, is only a small fraction of the extraterrestrial solar radiation, it accounts for 80% of the harmful effects of exposure to the sun. In this work values of erythemal solar irradiance (UVER) measured in Valencia on a horizontal plane in the period between June 2003 and June 2005 are analysed and compared with measures of UV (A+B) and global irradiances on a horizontal plane. UV erythemal (UVER) irradiance has been measured using a YES-UVB-1 broadband radiometer; UV (A+B) irradiance has been measured using a TUVR Eppley radiometer with spectral response between 290 and 385 nm and global irradiance on a ho…

Determination and analysis of in situ spectral aerosol optical properties by a multi-instrumental approach

Continuous in situ measurements of aerosol optical properties were conducted from 29 June to 29 July 2012 in Granada (Spain) with a seven-wavelength Aethalometer, a Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer, and a three-wavelength integrating nephelometer. The aim of this work is to describe a methodology to obtain the absorption coefficients (babs) for the different Aethalometer wavelengths. In this way, data have been compensated using algorithms which best estimate the compensation factors needed. Two empirical factors are used to infer the absorption coefficients from the Aethalometer measurements: C – the parameter describing the enhancement of absorption by particles in the filter matrix due …

Ratio of UV to global broad band irradiation in Valencia, Spain

This paper presents the results of an analysis of 6 years of measurements of UV and broad band irradiation values in Valencia, Spain. Hourly and daily integrated UV irradiance, ITUV, measured by a TUVR Eppley radiometer, and global irradiance IT from a Kipp-Zonen CM-11 pyranometer, were highly correlated, with ITUV/IT percentages varying from 2.9% to 3.5% for hourly values and from 2.9% to 3.4% for daily values. If a general linear relation ITUV=mIT is considered, the correlation coefficient r is always greater than 0.96 for hourly values and 0.91 for daily values. However, the relation between ITUV/IT and the clearness index kT is poorly correlated, although improved results, with less dep…

Aerosol size distributions and air mass back trajectories over a Mediterranean coastal site

In this paper we present the results obtained from ground-based measurements using a CIMEL sunphotometer during selected clear days corresponding to the winter and summer periods of 2002 in Valencia, an urban coastal Mediterranean site. From the direct solar extinction data the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been retrieved. This spectral AOD has been used to obtain the size distribution function from the King inversion algorithm. The results show the great dependence of the optical aerosol characteristics on the dominant winds in this area. This location is subject to winds which have either a land or Mediterranean origin which frequently mask the aerosols coming from the Atlantic…

A multi-instrument approach for characterizing the atmospheric aerosol optical thickness during the STAAARTE/DAISEX-99 campaign

This work deals with the retrieval of the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) needed to carry out the atmospheric correction of remote sensing data measured in Barrax (Spain) on 4 June 1999 in the framework of 1999 Digital Airbone Imaging Spectrometer Experiment (DAISEX'99). The AOT was estimated through three approaches based on: spectral extinction of direct solar irradiance at ground level, airborne nephelometer measurements at different altitudes, and backscatter lidar in the lower troposphere. We found extremely low AOT values due to a cold Atlantic front that swept across the Iberian Peninsula from west to east producing light rain over the test area on 2 June 1999. The results were solar…

Determination of Minimal Erythema Dose and Anomalous Reactions to UVA Radiation by Skin Phototype

Background: Phototesting is a technique that assesses the skin’s sensitivity to UV radiation by determining the smallest dose of radiation capable of inducing erythema (minimal erythema dose [MED]) and anomalous responses to UV-A radiation. No phototesting protocol guidelines have been published to date. Methodology: This was a multicenter prospective cohort study in which 232 healthy volunteers were recruited at 9 hospitals. Phototests were carried out with solar simulators or fluorescent broadband UV-B lamps. Each individual received a total of 5 or 6 incremental doses of erythemal radiation and 4 doses of UV-A radiation. The results were read at 24 hours. Results: At hospitals where sola…

Determinación de la dosis eritemática mínima y reacciones anómalas a radiación ultravioleta A según fototipo

Resumen Antecedentes La tecnica del fototest evalua la sensibilidad de la piel a la radiacion ultravioleta (RUV) mediante la determinacion de la minima dosis de radiacion capaz de producir eritema (dosis minima eritematica [DEM]) y la respuesta anomala a UVA. No existen guias protocolizadas para la tecnica del fototest. Metodologia Estudio multicentrico de cohortes prospectivo. Un total de 232 voluntarios sanos fueron reclutados en 9 centros hospitalarios. El fototest se realizo con simuladores solares (SS) o lamparas fluorescentes de UVB de banda ancha (UVBBA). Cada sujeto recibio un total de 5 o 6 dosis progresivas de radiacion eritematica y 4 dosis de UVA. La lectura se realizo a las 24 …

Precipitable water vapour content from ESR/SKYNET sun-sky radiometers: validation against GNSS/GPS and AERONET over three different sites in Europe

The estimation of the precipitable water vapour content (W) with high temporal and spatial resolution is of great interest to both meteorological and climatological studies. Several methodologies based on remote sensing techniques have been recently developed in order to obtain accurate and frequent measurements of this atmospheric parameter. Among them, the relative low cost and easy deployment of sun–sky radiometers, or sun photometers, operating in several international networks, allowed the development of automatic estimations of W from these instruments with high temporal resolution. However, the great problem of this methodology is the estimation of the sun-photometric calibration par…

Analysis of a strong wildfire event over Valencia (Spain) during Summer 2012 – Part 1: Aerosol microphysics and optical properties

Abstract. The most intense wildfire experienced in Eastern Spain since 2004 happened in Valencia during summer 2012. Although the fire was mostly active during days 29–30 June, a longer temporal period (from 24 June to 4 July) was selected for this analysis. Column-integrated, vertical resolved and surface aerosol observations were performed continuously at the Burjassot station throughout the studied period. The aerosol optical depth at 500 nm shows values larger than 2 for the most intense part of the wildfire and an extremely high maximum of 8 was detected on 29 June. The simultaneous increase of the Ångström exponent was also observed, indicating the important contribution of small part…

Intercomparison of spectroradiometers and Sun photometers for the determination of the aerosol optical depth during the VELETA-2002 field campaign

In July 2002 the VELETA-2002 field campaign was held in Sierra Nevada (Granada) in the south of Spain. The main objectives of this field campaign were the study of the influence of elevation and atmospheric aerosols on measured UV radiation. In the first stage of the field campaign, a common calibration and intercomparison between Licor-1800 spectroradiometers and Cimel-318 Sun photometers was performed in order to assess the quality of the measurements from the whole campaign. The intercomparison of the Licor spectroradiometers showed, for both direct and global irradiances, that when the comparisons were restricted to the visible part of the spectrum the deviations were within the instrum…

Aerosol Lidar Intercomparison in the Framework of SPALINET—The Spanish Lidar Network: Methodology and Results

Abstract—A group of eight Spanish lidars was formed in order to extend the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network–Advanced Sustainable Observation System (EARLINET-ASOS)project. This study presents intercomparisons at the hardware and software levels. Results of the system intercomparisons are based on range-square-corrected signals in cases where the lidars viewed the same atmospheres. Comparisons were also made for aeros backscatter coefficients at 1064 nm (2 systems) and 532 nm (all systems), and for extinction coefficients at 532 nm (2 systems). In total, three field campaigns were carried out between 2006 and 2007. Comparisons were limited to the highest layer found before the free tr…

Aerosol radiative forcing efficiency in the UV region over southeastern Mediterranean: VELETA2002 campaign

Atmospheric aerosol effects on spectral global UV irradiance were evaluated during the VELETA2002 field campaign between 8 and 19 July 2002 in southeast Spain. In the first stage, seven UV spectroradiometer and six CIMEL Sun photometer measurements were carried out simultaneously, allowing them to be calibrated and intercompared. The mean ratio obtained for the global irradiance between the spectroradiometers, with regards to a reference instrument, ranges from 0.98 up to 1.04 with standard deviations that oscillate between ±0.01 and ±0.17. In particular, the two spectroradiometers used to obtain the aerosol forcing efficiencies have a ratio of 1.000 ± 0.001. The aerosol optical depth (AOD)…

The influence of ozone and aerosols on the experimental values of UV erythemal radiation at ground level in Valencia

Ultraviolet erythemal radiation (UVER) values have been simulated for different values of column ozone and aerosol optical depth (AOD) using a multiple scattering model: SBDART. The results show that UVER decreased when atmospheric ozone and aerosols increased, with the ozone having greater influence than AOD. To quantify these dependencies the influence of aerosols on the simulated values of UVER has been analysed for different ozone values. This dependence was linear. Similarly, to quantify the influence of ozone on the UVER values this was simulated for fixed values of AOD while varying the column ozone. The expression of this dependence was found to be a second-order polynomial. We also…

Energy saving and solar energy use in the University of Valencia (Spain)

Abstract Recent years have seen increasing public interest in issues related to energy saving and concern for the environment. It is important to highlight the work of public institutions in this respect. This was the motive that led the University of Valencia to finance a pilot project with the objective of studying useful initiatives for optimising energy consumption in accordance with the institution’s needs as well as the incorporation of innovative and more efficient technologies. The approach was to consider various aspects ranging from the analysis of the current energy consumption and the state of the installations, through the substitution of some energy inefficient components, to …

UV Index on Tilted Surfaces

Solar ultraviolet erythemal irradiance (UVER) has been studied on inclined planes with different orientations in Valencia, Spain. To do this a platform was designed that could turn through 90 degrees on its own axis. The radiometers were inclined at an angle close to the latitude of Valencia (39.5 degrees N). Using two timers the platform could be turned through 90 degrees every 5 min. On clear or partially cloudy days, including those with different turbidity values, it was observed that the UVER showed a maximum at 1200 h GMT, very close to solar noon, in the north and south positions, while the maximum for east and west orientations was found at approximately one hour before and one hour…

Columnar aerosol properties in Valencia (Spain) by ground-based Sun photometry

In this paper, we present a climatological study of atmospheric aerosols in coastal eastern Spain, by means of experimental measurements using a Cimel CE318-2 Sun photometer. The aerosol optical depth, Ångström wavelength exponent, size distribution, complex refractive index, asymmetry parameter, and single scattering albedo have been retrieved from these measurements. The columnar water content, as an important parameter for understanding aerosol growth, has also been retrieved. Statistical results of the annual and seasonal variability analysis, mainly related to the usual summer maximum turbidity found in the Mediterranean and European regions, are also shown. The results are linked to t…

The optimisation of the angle of inclination of a solar collector to maximise the incident solar radiation

Abstract Irradiation data, recorded on vertical surfaces facing north, south, east and west and on a horizontal surface every ten minutes during daylight hours from January–December 1992 in Valencia, Spain, have been compared with estimated solar irradiation from inclined-surface models. Results show that Hays model most accurately reproduces the variation in irradiation on all vertical surfaces. Hays model has been used to find the hourly variation in the optimum tilt angle for a South-facing solar collector in Valencia, Spain, and also to calculate the yearly average of this angle. This method has been compared with the results provided by another model that uses average monthly values of…

Comparison of aerosol optical thickness retrieval from spectroradiometer measurements and from two radiative transfer models

Abstract The spectral values of the aerosol optical thickness τ a λ in the 400–670 nm band have been determined from 500 solar direct irradiance spectra at normal incidence registered at Valencia (Spain) in the period from July 1993 to March 1997. The τ a λ values obtained from experimental measurements have been compared with the boundary layer aerosol models implemented in the radiative transfer codes ZD-LOA and LOWTRAN 7. For the ZD-LOA code, the continental and maritime models have been considered and for the LOWTRAN 7 code the rural, maritime, urban and tropospheric models have been used. The obtained results show that the aerosol model that best represents the average turbidity of the…

Factors for inconsistent aerosol single scattering albedo between SKYNET and AERONET

SKYNET and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) retrieved aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) values of four sites, Chiba (Japan), Pune (India), Valencia (Spain), and Seoul (Korea), were compared to understand the factors behind often noted large SSA differences between them. SKYNET and AERONET algorithms are found to produce nearly same SSAs for similarity in input data, suggesting that SSA differences between them are primarily due to quality of input data due to different calibration and/or observation protocols as well as difference in quality assurance criteria. The most plausible reason for high SSAs in SKYNET is found to be underestimated calibration constant for sky radiance (ΔΩ). T…

The erythemal clearness index for Valencia, Spain

The values of three clearness indices have been measured for the city of Valencia: kt, the clearness index for the whole solar spectrum, ktUV the clearness index for the ultraviolet range, and the erythemal clearness index for the erythemal radiation ktUVER, corresponding to the solar radiation weighted by the erythemal action spectrum on human skin, normalized with respect to the solar constant corresponding to that spectrum. The measurements of ktUV reached values that were approximately 54% of that corresponding to kt, while those of ktUVER were much smaller. Some statistics of the erythemal clearness index have been calculated both for monthly as well as hourly means. The shape of the d…

UVER and UV index at high altitude in Northwestern Argentina

Measurements of ultraviolet erythemal radiation (UVER) made during two years at three sites located at altitudes over 1000 m a.s.l. in Northwestern Argentina (Salta, San Carlos, and El Rosal) have been used to estimate and analyze the UV Index (UVI) and the cumulative doses at these locations. For the UVER irradiance, data of January (maximum values) and June (minimum values) have been analyzed as representative of the year for all locations. The UVI reaches extreme (> 11) values in > 20% of the analyzed days in Salta (1190 m a.s.l.), while these are reached in San Carlos (1611 m a.s.l.) and El Rosal (3355 m a.s.l.) in > 40% of the analyzed days. Finally, the cumulative doses over an averag…

Incorporation of aerosol effects in a clear-sky semi-empirical model of UVER radiation for Valencia, Spain

The study develops a simple but physically based model for estimating erythemal irradiance [(UV erythemal radiation (UVER)] for cloudless urban regions with substantial aerosol load, such as that of the Valencia environment in Spain. The model estimates direct and diffuse UVER for cloudless aerosol-free conditions using the LibRadtran model with a DISORT algorithm. Aerosol optical thickness for UVER (τaER) is obtained as a residual term by comparing measured direct UVER against modelled direct UVER in the absence of aerosol load. On average, τaER is 18% higher than τ data extrapolated to 305 nm using the CIMEL CE-318. Comparison of measured direct and diffuse UVER with model estimates provi…

Measurement and analysis of broadband UVB solar radiation in Spain.

Measurements of broadband UVB irradiance (290-315 nm) at 14 locations in Spain for the period 2000-2009 have been used to generate instantaneous, hourly and daily values of irradiance (W m(-2)) and radiant exposure (kJ m(-2)). These measurements, and its statistical indices, have been analyzed. For the UVB irradiance, the values corresponding to July (maximum) and December (minimum) have been analyzed as representative of the year during the whole period for all locations. For the UVB radiant exposure, the temporal evolution of daily values has been evaluated for all locations to estimate an average yearly behavior. The accumulated radiant exposure for an average year has also been studied …

Proposal of a simple model for the characterization of aerosols in relation to the dominant air masses

In this work, we present a simple model that allows us to easily obtain the character of the dominant air mass for any location in the Northern Hemisphere at any time. Specifically, in this article the model has been tested at Valencia, Spain, for the years from 2006 to 2009. The classification of the air masses is performed analysing their trajectories over pre-defined source regions in the Northern Hemisphere. Daily trajectories were simulated by the hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory model HYSPLIT and then classified by our model. In order to verify our classification results, those cases identified as African were compared with the Saharan dust intrusions reported f…

A New Method for Determining the Ångström Turbidity Coefficient from Broadband Filter Measurements

Abstract In this work, a new method for determining Angstrom turbidity coefficients is presented. This method is based on broadband filter irradiance measurements. By combining measurements obtained with different filters it is possible to obtain a single value of the turbidity coefficient representative of the whole measurement range of the pyrheliometer. The results provided by this new method are compared with the original Angstrom method and turbidity coefficient values derived by spectroradiometric measurements. The results reproduce the actual values, as measured by a spectroradiometer, better than the previous best correlation did, thus demonstrating the advantage of analyzing the op…

Assessment and application of MODIS ocean and land algorithms for the characterization of aerosol properties over a Mediterranean coastal site

Abstract The aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom exponent (α) obtained from MODIS Terra and Aqua over the coastal urban site of Burjassot (Spain) during the period 2002–2011 have been compared with retrievals from AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) and ESR (European Skynet Radiometers) in order to investigate the performance of MODIS algorithms over land and ocean, respectively. The comparison of the MODIS aerosol products C051 over both land and ocean has been performed for a window size of 50 km × 50 km centred on the monitoring site. The correlation coefficients obtained from the comparison of the AOD from MODIS with that from ground-based measurements are 0.85 and 0.87 over land for…

Values of broad band turbidity coefficients in a mediterranean coastal site

Abstract The Angstrom turbidity coefficient, the Linke turbidity factor, and the Unsworth–Monteith coefficient have been determined and analysed based on measurements of normal direct irradiance and global horizontal irradiance taken in Valencia, Spain, between January 1990 and December 1996. The data, which were acquired automatically and continuously, have been filtered to select only those values corresponding to clear sky conditions. To determine the Angstrom turbidity coefficient the method proposed by Louche et al. has been used whilst the expression for δCDA proposed by Kasten was used to obtain the Linke turbidity coefficient. The Angstrom turbidity coefficient showed a minimum in w…

The parameterisation of the atmospheric aerosol optical depth using the Ångström power law

Abstract We have analysed the ability of the Angstrom power law to model the spectral aerosol optical depth, τaλ, for the 400–670 nm band, obtained from spectral direct irradiance measurements at normal incidence. The spectra were registered at ground level in Valencia, Spain, using a Li-cor 1800 spectroradiometer. The results obtained showed that the fitting method that introduces lower errors in the determination of the Angstrom power law coefficients is to adjust directly the spectral experimental data. In this way the errors obtained for the turbidity coefficient, β, were about 0.004 and for the wavelength exponent, α, 0.07. The correlation coefficient was always greater than 0.95. Thes…

A comparison of Microtops II and satellite ozone measurements in the period 2001-2011

Daily average total ozone Microtops measurements obtained during several campaigns conducted from 2001 to 2011 at latitudes from 31 to 68N and in different seasons are compared with satellite observations. The Microtops ozone is derived using different wavelength combinations (Channel I, 305.5/312.5. nm; Channel II, 312.5/320. nm; and Channel III, 305.5/312.5/320. nm). Satellite data from TOMS, OMI, GOME, and GOME-2 are used in the comparison. The three Microtops channels show a high correlation with the satellite retrievals. Channel I shows the best results and produces a mean bias deviation (MBD) less than 2.14% with respect to TOMS, OMI and GOME. The MBD increases to 3% in the comparison…

Wavelength dependence of the effective cloud optical depth

This study examines the wavelength dependence of cloud optical depth. To accomplish this task two different wavelength bands of the solar spectrum were considered in the cloud optical depth retrieval which was conducted in Valencia, Spain. The first retrieval used global irradiance measurements in the UVER range taken from a YES-UVB-1 radiometer in combination with multiple scattering model estimates; while the second retrieval was obtained in the Broadband range, with measurements of global solar surface irradiance from a CM6 pyranometer and a multiple scattering model. Whilst the dependence of the cloud optical depth (τ) on the wavelength is small, the best result was displayed by the SBD…

Measurements of integrated direct, diffuse and global ultraviolet-B radiation

Abstract We present the first multiyear set of simultaneous measurements of the global ultraviolet-B radiation and its two components: direct and diffuse. The measurements have been taken with four YES-UVB-1 radiometers: two radiometers to measure the diffuse radiation, one provided with a shadow band and the other with a shadow disk on a Sun tracker; a radiometer to measure the global horizontal radiation; and a Sun-tracking radiometer to measure the direct radiation with an especially designed radiance collimator. The diffuse minute-values measured with both instruments agree within a coefficient correlation of 1.00. The diffuse component represents at least 50% of the global UVB (ultravi…

Daytime aerosol extinction profiles from the combination of CALIOP profiles and AERONET products

Abstract. The solar background illumination has a strong effect on CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) measurements, leading to a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio of the lidar signal. Because of this, CALIOP level 2 data algorithms might be limited in the retrieval of the properties of the aerosols in the atmosphere. In this work, we present a methodology that combines CALIOP level 1 data with AERONET (Aerosol RObotic NETwork) measurements to retrieve aerosol extinction profiles and lidar ratios in daytime conditions. In this way, we fulfill a two-fold objective: first, we obtain more accurate daytime aerosol information; second, we supplement column integrated me…

Influence of air mass history on the columnar aerosol properties at Valencia, Spain

[1] The physical and radiative properties of atmospheric aerosols have been obtained in Valencia (latitude 39.508°, longitude −0.418°, 60 m a. s. l.), a city of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, by the inversion of direct solar irradiance and diffuse sky irradiance measurements made with a CIMEL CE318 system, from January 2002 to July 2005. The data acquired by the CE318 were used to determine the instantaneous values of the aerosol optical depth (AOD), the columnar water vapor content (w) and the Angstrom wavelength exponent (α). The SKYRAD code was used to obtain the size distribution, the asymmetry parameter, the complex refractive index and the single scattering albedo of the aerosols. B…

Relationship between erythemal UV and broadband solar irradiation at high altitude in Northwestern Argentina

An analysis of the broadband solar irradiation, IT, and the erythemal UV irradiation, IUVER, has been performed using the measurements made from 2013 to 2015 at three sites located at altitudes over 1000 m a.s.l. In Northwestern Argentina (Salta, El Rosal, and Tolar Grande). The main objective of this paper is to determine a relationship between IT and IUVER, which would allow to estimate IUVER from IT in places with few IUVER measurements available, and especially in those where is important to establish adequate photoprotection measures given their dense population and location at high altitude. The relationship between the daily values of IUVER and IT has been fitted to a linear regressi…

Comparison of global ultraviolet (290–385 nm) and global irradiation measured during the warm season in valencia, spain

This paper studies data of ultraviolet (290–385 nm band) horizontal solar irradiation and global horizontal solar irradiation measured at Valencia (Spain) during the period March 1991 to September 1991. Analysis of error estimations and correlation coefficients show that the 10 minute, hourly, and daily values of ultraviolet (UV) and global irradiation are highly correlated. Improved figures and less dependence on location are achieved by defining a clearness index for the UV 290–385 nm band and relating it to the conventional whole-band clearness index. The novel clearness index obtained from Valencia data is approximately half of the conventional clearness index. Considering solar elevati…

Diffuse ultraviolet erythemal irradiance on inclined planes: a comparison of experimental and modeled data.

Values of measured and modeled diffuse UV erythemal irradiance (UVER) for all sky conditions are compared on planes inclined at 40 degrees and oriented north, south, east and west. The models used for simulating diffuse UVER are of the geometric-type, mainly the Isotropic, Klucher, Hay, Muneer, Reindl and Schauberger models. To analyze the precision of the models, some statistical estimators were used such as root mean square deviation, mean absolute deviation and mean bias deviation. It was seen that all the analyzed models reproduce adequately the diffuse UVER on the south-facing plane, with greater discrepancies for the other inclined planes. When the models are applied to cloud-free con…

Performance of a FieldSpec spectroradiometer for aerosol optical depth retrieval: method and preliminary results

The performance of a FieldSpec spectroradiometer for retrieving aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been assessed after modifying its basic configuration in order to measure direct solar irradiance at ground level. The FieldSpec measurements were obtained during four summertime days in the years 2004 and 2005, over a Spanish agricultural site in Barrax, Albacete (30 degrees 3(') N, 2 degrees 6(') W, 700 m a.s.l.), in the framework of two European Space Agency mission remote sensing field campaigns. From the whole FieldSpec spectral domain (350-2500 nm) the AOD was extracted for channels within atmospheric windows. The instrument was calibrated by means of the standard Langley plot method, perfo…

UV Index Experimental Values During the Years 2000 and 2001 from the Spanish Broadband UV-B Radiometric Network¶

An analysis is made of experimental ultraviolet erythemal solar radiation data measured during the years 2000 and 2001 by the Spanish UV-B radiation evaluation and prediction network. This network consists of 16 Robertson-Berger type pyranometers for evaluating solar erythemal radiation and five Brewer spectroradiometers for evaluating the stratospheric ozone. On the basis of these data the Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was evaluated for the measuring stations that are located either in coastal regions or in the more densely populated regions inland on the Iberian Peninsula. It has been checked that in most cases the maximum irradiance values corresponded to solar noon, although there were except…

Multiyear in-situ measurements of atmospheric aerosol absorption properties at an urban coastal site in western Mediterranean

Abstract In-situ aerosol absorption properties measured in Valencia (Spain) for four years, from February 2011 to February 2015, have been analysed. Spectral absorption properties have been obtained using a seven-wavelength Aethalometer AE-31 which covers the range from UV (370 nm) to IR (950 nm). In order to obtain the absorption coefficients, compensation parameters have been calculated for the Aethalometer considering seasonal and spectral differences. For this multiyear measurement period, seasonal site-specific calibration parameters have been obtained. Furthermore, estimations of the absorption Angstrom Exponent (α abs ) have been calculated using the seven Aethalometer wavelengths. T…

Comparison of aerosol size distributions measured at ground level and calculated from inversion of solar radiances

Ground-based sunphotometry measurements can be used to investigate atmospheric aerosol optical properties, such as the volume size distribution, an important parameter in the study of the effect of aerosol on atmospheric processes. Most inversion algorithms assume constant aerosol optical characteristics over the whole air column. In this work we present observational evidence of the limitations of this simplifying assumption in cases where the aerosol vertical structure is highly inhomogeneous. During the field campaign VELETA 2002, carried out in Granada (Spain), a quite complete characterization of the atmospheric aerosol was obtained by simultaneously measuring the columnar aerosol char…

Relationship between the effective cloud optical depth and different atmospheric transmission factors

This study examines the sensitivity of cloud optical depth (COD) for overcast conditions to radiation transmission using data collected in Valencia, Spain. These relationships are provided as simple empirical functions, therefore avoiding the need to apply complex model minimisation schemes to obtain COD. Comparisons are presented between COD obtained by a minimization method and several radiation transmission factors comprising a clearness index (kt), a modified version (kt'), a cloud modification factor (CMF) and its modified version (CMF'). Additionally, a statistical model of COD proposed by J.C. Barnard and C.N. Long (2004) is tested with our data. Statistical relationships between COD…

Sensitivity of UVER enhancement to broken liquid water clouds: A Monte Carlo approach

The study uses a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model to examine the sensitivity of the UV erythemal radiation (UVER) enhancement to broken liquid water clouds of the cumulus and stratocumulus type. The model uses monochromatic radiation at 310 nm corresponding approximately to the peak of the product between irradiance and the erythemal curve. All scattering, absorption, extinction coefficients, and spectral albedos are tuned to this wavelength. In order of importance, fractional cloud cover, the area of individual cloud patches, and cloud thickness exert a strong influence on the enhancement, with smaller contributions from cloud optical depth, cloud base height, and solar zenith angle. I…

Column-integrated aerosol optical properties in the free troposphere: case study-Sierra Nevada, Spain

From spectral solar irradiance extinction measurements in the visible range carried out at Sierra Nevada (2950 m a.s.l.) during July 1998, the characteristics of the aerosol column in the free troposphere have been measured. The results show that in stable atmospheric conditions, the column-integrated aerosol takes an optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm of 0.02 /spl plusmn/ 0.02, and an average radius in the accumulation mode of 0.15 /spl mu/m, with a likely Atlantic origin. In unstable situations, the AOD at 500 nm can increase by more than an order of magnitude, and the aerosols' origin is uncertain, since air masses can arrive from different sources at different altitudes.

Ozone mini-holes over Valencia (Spain) and their influence on the UV erythemal radiation

Low ozone level episodes (also known as mini-holes) have been analysed over Valencia, Spain, during the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2007. In this study, 24 episodes, lasting 1 or 2 days each, were detected. Most of them can be explained dynamically by the existence of an anticyclone over the Azores, which sends air masses coming from the Caribbean over the Iberian Peninsula. A positive anomaly in the vertical temperature profile in the high troposphere and one negative anomaly in the medium and low stratosphere are also observed in most of the analysed episodes. The total ozone column decrease is accompanied by a rise in the UV erythemal radiation levels. This increase is quan…

Altitude effect in UV radiation during the Evaluation of the Effects of Elevation and Aerosols on the Ultraviolet Radiation 2002 (VELETA-2002) field campaign

[1] The Evaluation of the Effects of Elevation and Aerosols on the Ultraviolet Radiation 2002 (VELETA-2002) field campaign was designed to study the influence of aerosols and altitude on solar UV irradiance. The altitude effect (AE) was evaluated for UV irradiance under cloudless conditions by taking spectral and broadband measurements in SE Spain in the summer of 2002 at three nearby sites located at different heights (680 m, 2200 m, and 3398 m). A spectral radiative transfer model (Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART)) was also applied, mainly to evaluate the tropospheric ozone impact on AE. Results are related to the optical properties and air mass origin of the a…

Validación de los datos de radiación solar UV del Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) a partir de medidas con base en tierra en la costa mediterránea

<p align="justify">The erythemal UV daily dose (EDD) and the local noon UV Index (UVI) obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), on board NASA’s Aura satellite, have been validated for the period 2005-2013 using ground based measurements at 5 different sites in the Mediterranean coast: Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Rome (where only measurements of the local noon UVI were available). Ground based measurements were made using YES UVB-1 radiometers in Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, and a Brewer MKIV 067 spectrophotometer in Rome. The results of the validation showed good agreement between the satellite instrument and the ground based me…

Application of the SKYRAD Improved Langley plot method for the in situ calibration of CIMEL Sun-sky photometers

The in situ procedure for determining the solar calibration constants, originally developed for the PREDE Sun-sky radiometers and based on a modified version of the Langley plot, was applied to a CIMEL instrument located in Valencia, Spain, not integrated into AERONET. Taking into account the different mechanical and electronic characteristics of the two radiometers, the method was adapted to the characteristics of the CIMEL instrument. The iterative procedure for the determination of the solar calibration constants was applied to a 3-year data set. The results were compared with the two sets of experimental calibration constants determined during this period using the standard Langley plot…

Effective cloud optical depth and enhancement effects for broken liquid water clouds in Valencia (Spain)

Partly cloudy skies with liquid water clouds have been analysed, founding that it is essential to distinguish data if the Sun is obstructed or not by clouds. Both cases can be separated considering simultaneously the Cloud Modification Factor (CMF) and the clearness index (kt). For partly cloudy skies and the Sun obstructed the effective cloud optical depth (τ) has been obtained by the minimization method for overcast skies. This method was previously developed by the authors but, in this case, taking into account partial cloud cover. This study has been conducted for the years 2011–2015 with the multiple scattering model SBDART and irradiance measurements for the UV Erythemal Radiation (UV…

Diffuse UV erythemal radiation experimental values

[1] Measurements of diffuse UV erythemal radiation (UVER) using a shadowband have been corrected using the models proposed by Drummond (1956), LeBaron et al. (1990), and Batlles et al. (1995). Two different methods were used to validate these models: intercomparison with an Optronic OL754 spectroradiometer and comparison with the values simulated by two radiative transfer codes, SMARTS and SBDART. For this comparison only clear days have been used. The corrected experimental values were analyzed in order to study the average values of the diffuse UVER fraction in relation to the clearness index kt. These varied between 62%, for kt close to 0.8, and 93% for kt of 0.2–0.3. Finally, a study of…

MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS OF ULTRAVIOLET SOLAR IRRADIATION IN VALENCIA, SPAIN

Experimental data concerning the integrated total ultraviolet radiation (290–385 nm band) on a horizontal surface measured at Valencia (Spain) during the period March 1991 to December 1994 have been analysed. A study of the most representative statistical indexes: arithmetic mean (M), median (Md), standard deviation (SD), maximum (Mx), minimum (Mn), first (Q1) and third (Q3) quartiles, percentiles 5 (P5) and 95 (P95), interquartile range (Q3 –Q1) and coefficient of quartile variation (V), of the UV radiation for this period has been carried out. The study has focused on both the hourly and the daily values of irradiance. The UV irradiance measured shows quite stable values within the period…

Atmospheric components determination from ground-level measurements during the spectra Barax Campaigns (SPARC) field campaigns

The Surface Processes and Ecosystem Changes Through Response Analysis (SPECTRA) Barrax Campaigns were validation campaigns developed in the framework of the SPECTRA mission in order to verify that the geophysical data products provided by satellite imagery are consistent with the measurements made by independent means. Two campaigns took place in Barrax, Spain, during the summers of 2003 and 2004. This paper presents the results of the characterization of the atmospheric composition from solar radiation, radiosoundings, and lidar measurements. Several potentially interesting situations involving atmospheric layers with different types of aerosols and water content are discussed. The presenc…

Evaluation of models for estimating solar irradiation on vertical surfaces at Valencia, Spain

Abstract Hourly irradiation data recorded on vertical surfaces at north, east, south, and west orientations during the winter period going from December 1989 to March 1990 in Valencia, Spain, have been compared with estimated solar irradiation from several tilted-surface models. The isotropic-, Temps' and Coulson's-, Klucher's-, Hay's-, Skartveit's and Olseth's-, Gueymard's- and Perez' (simplified) models have been considered for this comparison. Root-mean-square-difference (RMSD), mean-bias-difference (MBD) and mean-absolute-difference (MAD) estimators have been used to measure the departure of models from experimental data. Modeled values are evaluated with the original coefficients propo…

DETERMINATION OF PEREZ SOLAR DIFFUSE IRRADIANCE MODEL COEFFICIENTS FOR VALENCIA (SPAIN)

Column aerosol characterization in a semi‐arid region around Marrakech during the WATERMED 2003 campaign

In the framework of the WATERMED (WATer use efficiency in natural vegetation and agricultural areas by Remote sensing in the MEDiterranean basin) project, an experimental field campaign was carried out in a semi‐arid region near Marrakech, Morocco, during March 2003. This work focused on the columnar aerosol characterization from spectroradiometric and photometric measurements of direct solar irradiance and sky radiance at ground level. The results show a high dependence of the aerosol optical properties on the air masses present in the area. Two periods with different aerosol loads were observed in the campaign. In the first, Atlantic‐origin aerosols showed a marine particle accumulation m…

Column-integrated aerosol optical properties from ground-based spectroradiometer measurements at Barrax (Spain) during the Digital Airborne Spectrometer Experiment (DAISEX) campaigns.

[1] The Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer Experiment (DAISEX) was carried out for the European Space Agency (ESA) in order to develop the potential of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy for a range of different scientific applications. DAISEX involved simultaneous data acquisitions using different airborne imaging spectrometers over test sites in southeast Spain (Barrax) and the Upper Rhine valley (Colmar, France, and Hartheim, Germany). This paper presents the results corresponding to the columnintegrated aerosol optical properties from ground-based spectroradiometer measurements over the Barrax area during the DAISEX campaign days in the years 1998, 1999, and 2000. The instruments used f…

Comparison of AERONET and SKYRAD4.2 inversion products retrieved from a Cimel CE318 sunphotometer

SKYNET is an international research network of ground based sky – sunphotometers for the observation and monitoring of columnar aerosol properties. The algorithm developed by SKYNET is called SKYRAD.pack, and it is used on Prede instruments only. In this study, we have modified the SKYRAD.pack software in order to adapt it to Cimel sunphotometers. A one month database of Cimel data obtained at Burjassot (Valencia, Spain) has been processed with this program and the obtained inversion products have been compared with AERONET retrievals. In general, the differences found were consistent with the individual error assessments for both algorithms. Although the aerosol optical depth com…

Effective cloud optical depth for overcast conditions determined with a UV radiometers

Using a sky camera, episodes characterized by overcast low clouds in the Valencia region of Spain have been selected for analysis. One year of cloud optical depth data have been produced by inverting UV erythemal irradiance measured with a UVB-1 radiometer from Yankee Environmental Systems using the LibRadtran radiative transfer model. Measurement uncertainties, aerosol single scattering albedo and cloud properties are, in order of decreasing importance, the most important factors influencing the accuracy of cloud optical depth retrieval when using UV erythemal radiometers. Statistics for cloud optical depth show a highly skewed frequency distribution best described by a gamma distribution …

Study of the correlation between columnar aerosol burden, suspended matter at ground and chemical components in a background European environment

Although routinely monitored by ground based air quality networks, the particulate matter distribution could be eventually better described with remote sensing techniques. However, valid relationships between ground level and columnar ground based quantities should be known beforehand. In this study we have performed a comparison between particulate matter measurements at ground level at different cut sizes (10, 2.5 and 1.0 mm), and the aerosol optical depth obtained by means of a ground based sunphotometer during a multiinstrumental field campaign held in El Arenosillo (Huelva, Spain) from 28 June to 4 July 2006. All the PM fractions were very well correlated with AOD with correlation coef…

Analysis of Desert Dust Outbreaks Over Southern Europe Using CALIOP Data and Ground-Based Measurements

Saharan dust outbreaks are one of the major aerosol sources in Southern Europe. Dust affects the radiative balance of the Earth–atmosphere system and impacts health. The assessment of Saharan outbreaks requires information about the vertical distribution of dust in the atmosphere, usually obtained from lidar measurements, such as the ones performed by the spaceborne Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) sensor. In this paper, we have used CALIOP level-1 daytime data in combination with aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground-based photometers to obtain aerosol profiles during 23 dust outbreaks over Southern Europe. These pro…

Aerosol columnar properties retrieved from CIMEL radiometers during VELETA 2002

During the 2002 summer, the VELETA 2002 field campaign has been carried out at the Sierra Nevada Massif, close to Granada in South-Eastern Spain. During the campaign, CIMEL CE-318 robotic radiometer has been one of the key instruments in the characterization of the atmospheric aerosol columnar properties. This kind of radiometers have been operated at Motril, a coastal location at sea level, Pitres (1200 m a.s.l.), located in the South slope of Sierra Nevada Massif, Las Sabinas (2200m a.s.l.), located on the north slope of the mountain range, and Armilla (680m a.s.l.), located in the valley. The principal feature of the locations is that they provide a strong altitudinal gradient. This work…