Aerosol column absorption measurements using co-located UV-MFRSR and AERONET CIMEL instruments
2009
Column aerosol absorption properties in the visible wavelengths are measured routinely in worldwide
locations by NASA AERONET network (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov), while similar optical properties in UV
can be derived from diffuse and global irradiance measurements measured with Multifilter Rotating
Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) instruments of the USDA UV-MFRSR network
(http://uvb.nrel.colostate.edu). To enable direct comparisons between the two techniques, we have modified
our UV-MFRSR by replacing standard 300nm filter with 440nm filter used in AERONET network. The
modified UV/VIS-MFRSR has been mostly deployed at AERONET calibration site at NASA GSFC in
Greenbelt, MD, but also at number of field campaigns. While the UV-MSFRSR instrument is highly
susceptible to calibration drifts, these drifts can be accurately assessed using co-located AERONET direct-sun
AOT data. In 2006 quartz dome has been installed atop the MFRSR diffuser, which stabilized calibration
drifts in 2007-2009. After correcting for remaining calibration changes, the AOT and single scattering albedo
(SSA) at the UV wavelengths can be accurately inferred by fitting the measurements of global and diffuse
atmospheric transmittances with the forward RT model at each UV-MFRSR spectral channel. Derived AOT
and SSA at common wavelength 440nm by two different techniques are generally in good agreement. We
also found that SSA becomes smaller in the UV wavelengths and has strong wavelength dependence across
blue and near-UV spectral range. The measured enhanced UV absorption might suggest the presence of
selectively UV absorbing aerosols. High spectral resolution SSA measurements in UV-VIS wavelengths are
called for.
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