Spectral characterization of the surface longwave radiation over the East Antarctic Plateau

The spectral features of the downward longwave radiation have been characterized by exploiting spectral measurements, acquired over the Antarctic Plateau at Dome C at 3230 m, by the Radiation Explorer in the Far InfraRed - Prototype for Applications and Development (REFIR-PAD) spectroradiometer. REFIR-PAD is operative at the base with continuous operations over 24 hours since 2012 and measures the spectra from 100 to 1400 cm−1 with 0.4 cm−1 of resolution, covering the under-explored far-IR for the first time with systematic measurements. REFIR-PAD spectral measurements have been used to calculate the atmospheric longwave flux to be compared with standard measurements performed by BSRN, for validation and error estimates. The agreement is within the error estimate of 4.5 W m−2 for REFIR-PAD and 10 W m−2 for BRSN measurements. Finally, seasonal variabilities of the longwave flux measured in different spectral regions have been studied by exploiting 1-year dataset of measurements to show possible correlation...