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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Wavelength dependence of the effective cloud optical depth

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description

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 SBDART model with less than 2% deviation between two ranges and moderately worse results were obtained with the LibRadtran model. Finally, seasonal statistical data for optical depth are presented for 2011 and 2012.