scholarly journals Climatological Aspects of Aerosol Physical Characteristics in Tunisia Deduced from Sun Photometric Measurements

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabrouk Chaâbane ◽  
Chafai Azri ◽  
Khaled Medhioub
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Atmospheric Turbidity ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Photometric Measurements ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Atmospheric and climatic data measured at Thala site (Tunisia) for a long-time period (1977–2001) are used to analyse the monthly, seasonal, and annual variations of the aerosol optical depth at 1 μm wavelength. We have shown that aerosol and microphysical properties and the dominating aerosol types depend on seasons. A comparison of the seasonal cycle of aerosol optical characteristics at Thala site showed that the contribution of long-range transported particles is expected to be larger in summer as a consequence of the weather stability typical of this season. Also, the winter decrease in atmospheric turbidity may result from increases in relative humidity and decreases in temperature, leading to increased particle size and mass and increased fall and deposition velocities. The spring and autumn weather patterns usually carry fine dust and sand particles for the desert area to Thala region. The annual behaviour of the aerosol optical depth recorded a period of stead increase started in 1986 until 2001. Trends in atmospheric turbidity after 1988 could be explained other ways by the contribution of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and by local or regional changes in climate or in aerosol emissions.

scholarly journals Effective aerosol optical depth from pyranometer measurements of surface solar radiation (global radiation) at Thessaloniki, Greece

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 33265-33289
Author(s):  
A. V. Lindfors ◽  
N. Kouremeti ◽  
A. Arola ◽  
S. Kazadzis ◽  
A. F. Bais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Global Radiation ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Surface Solar Radiation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Source Of Information

Abstract. Pyranometer measurements of the solar surface radiation (SSR) are available at many locations worldwide, often as long time series covering several decades into the past. These data constitute a potential source of information on the atmospheric aerosol load. Here, we present a method for estimating the aerosol optical depth (AOD) using pyranometer measurements of the SSR together with total water vapor column information. The method, which is based on radiative transfer simulations, was developed and tested using recent data from Thessaloniki, Greece. The effective AOD calculated using this method was found to agree well with co-located AERONET measurements, exhibiting a correlation coefficient of 0.9 with 2/3 of the data found within ±20% or ±0.05 of the AERONET AOD. This is similar to the performance of current satellite aerosol methods. Differences in the AOD as compared to AERONET can be explained by variations in the aerosol properties of the atmosphere that are not accounted for in the idealized settings used in the radiative transfer simulations, such as variations in the single scattering albedo and Ångström exponent. Furthermore, the method is sensitive to calibration offsets between the radiative transfer simulations and the pyranometer SSR. The method provides an opportunity of extending our knowledge of the atmospheric aerosol load to locations and times not covered by dedicated aerosol measurements.

scholarly journals An Effective and Efficient Enhanced Fixed Rank Smoothing Method for the Spatiotemporal Fusion of Multiple-Satellite Aerosol Optical Depth Products

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1102
Author(s):  
Bin Zou ◽  
Ning Liu ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Huihui Feng ◽  
Xiangping Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Bayesian Maximum Entropy ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
Fixed Rank

Current reported spatiotemporal solutions for fusing multisensor aerosol optical depth (AOD) products used to recover gaps either suffer from unacceptable accuracy levels, i.e., fixed rank smooth (FRS), or high time costs, i.e., Bayesian maximum entropy (BME). This problem is generally more serious when dealing with multiple AOD products in a long time series or over large geographic areas. This study proposes a new, effective, and efficient enhanced FRS method (FRS-EE) to fuse satellite AOD products with uncertainty constraints. AOD products used in the fusion experiment include Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) DB/DT_DB_Combined AOD and Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) AOD across mainland China from 2016 to 2017. Results show that the average completeness of original, initial FRS fused, and FRS-EE fused AODs with uncertainty constraints are 22.80%, 95.18%, and 65.84%, respectively. Although the correlation coefficient (R = 0.77), root mean square error (RMSE = 0.30), and mean bias (Bias = 0.023) of the initial FRS fused AODs are relatively lower than those of original AODs compared to Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) AOD records, the accuracy of FRS-EE fused AODs, which are R = 0.88, RMSE = 0.20, and Bias = 0.022, is obviously improved. More importantly, in regions with fully missing original AODs, the accuracy of FRS-EE fused AODs is close to that of original AODs in regions with valid retrievals. Meanwhile, the time cost of FRS-EE for AOD fusion was only 2.91 h; obviously lower than the 30.46 months taken for BME.

scholarly journals Study of Linke Turbidity Factor over Bode, Bhaktapur

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-73
Author(s):  
P. M. Shrestha ◽  
N. P. Chapagain ◽  
I. B. Karki ◽  
K. N. Poudyal
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Solar Insolation ◽  
Annual Average ◽  
Atmospheric Turbidity ◽  
Linke Turbidity Factor ◽  
One Year

The daily aerosol optical depth (AOD) data are derived from AERONET over Bode, Bhaktapur (27.68° N, 85.39° E, 1297 m above sea level) for a period of one year 2013. Annual mean of Atmospheric turbidity factors are calculated. The effect of different physical as well as meteorological parameters on the Linke turbidity factor was analyzed. The yearly mean of solar insolation, Angstrom exponential (α),Angstrom coefficient of turbidity (β) and Linke turbidity (LT) were found 4.70 ± 1.10kWh/m2/day, 1.13 ± 0.21 ,0.18 ± 0.14 and 5.70 ± 2.46 respectively. Annual average of visibility is 2.98 ± 2.13 km. Result of this research work is beneficial for the further identification, impact and analysis of atmospheric turbidity at different places.

scholarly journals Comparison Between Atmospheric Turbidity Coefficients of Desert and Temperate Climates

10.14311/214 ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamdy K. Elminir ◽  
U. A. Rahuma ◽  
V. Benda
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Universal Relation ◽  
Energy Devices ◽  
Atmospheric Turbidity ◽  
Direct Normal Irradiance ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Linke Turbidity Factor ◽  
Desert Climate

Knowledge of the solar radiation available on the earth’s surface is essential for the development of solar energy devices and for estimating of their performance efficiencies. For this purpose it is helpful to study the attenuation of direct normal irradiance by the atmosphere, in terms of fundamental quantities, including optical thickness, relative optical air mass, water vapor content, and aerosol amount. In the present article, we will not deal with cloudy atmospheres because of their great variability in space and time, but will focus our attention on atmospheres characterized by the complete absence of condensed water. The objectives of this article are to report data on aerosol optical depth and atmospheric turbidity coefficients for a desert climate, and to compare them with those of a temperate climate. Aerosol optical depth, the Linke turbidity factor, TL, and ngström turbidity coefficients, _, are calculated from measurements of broadband filters at Helwan, Egypt, which has a desert climate. A linear regression model is to be determined between the Linke factor and the ngström turbidity coefficient. This relation is compared with similar relations reported for a temperate climate [Prague, Czech Republic]. This comparison is made to determine whether a universal relation exists between these two important coefficients, or whether the relation is location dependent.

scholarly journals High temporal resolution estimates of columnar aerosol microphysical parameters from spectrum of aerosol optical depth by linear estimation: application to long-term AERONET and star-photometry measurements

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 3117-3133 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pérez-Ramírez ◽  
I. Veselovskii ◽  
D. N. Whiteman ◽  
A. Suvorina ◽  
M. Korenskiy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Linear Estimation ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Fine Mode ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Aerosol Types

Abstract. This work deals with the applicability of the linear estimation technique (LE) to invert spectral measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) provided by AERONET CIMEL sun photometers. The inversion of particle properties using only direct-sun AODs allows the evaluation of parameters such as effective radius (reff) and columnar volume aerosol content (V) with significantly better temporal resolution than the operational AERONET algorithm which requires both direct sun and sky radiance measurements. Sensitivity studies performed demonstrate that the constraints on the range of the inversion are very important to minimize the uncertainties, and therefore estimates of reff can be obtained with uncertainties less than 30 % and of V with uncertainties below 40 %. The LE technique is applied to data acquired at five AERONET sites influenced by different aerosol types and the retrievals are compared with the results of the operational AERONET code. Good agreement between the two techniques is obtained when the fine mode predominates, while for coarse mode cases the LE results systematically underestimate both reff and V. The highest differences are found for cases where no mode predominates. To minimize these biases, correction functions are developed using the multi-year database of observations at selected sites, where the AERONET retrieval is used as the reference. The derived corrections are tested using data from 18 other AERONET stations offering a range of aerosol types. After correction, the LE retrievals provide better agreement with AERONET for all the sites considered. Finally, the LE approach developed here is applied to AERONET and star-photometry measurements in the city of Granada (Spain) to obtain day-to-night time evolution of columnar aerosol microphysical properties.

scholarly journals Effective aerosol optical depth from pyranometer measurements of surface solar radiation (global radiation) at Thessaloniki, Greece

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3733-3741 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Lindfors ◽  
N. Kouremeti ◽  
A. Arola ◽  
S. Kazadzis ◽  
A. F. Bais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Global Radiation ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Surface Solar Radiation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Source Of Information

Abstract. Pyranometer measurements of the solar surface radiation (SSR) are available at many locations worldwide, often as long time series covering several decades into the past. These data constitute a potential source of information on the atmospheric aerosol load. Here, we present a method for estimating the aerosol optical depth (AOD) using pyranometer measurements of the SSR together with total water vapor column information. The method, which is based on radiative transfer simulations, was developed and tested using recent data from Thessaloniki, Greece. The effective AOD calculated using this method was found to agree well with co-located AERONET measurements, exhibiting a correlation coefficient of 0.9 with 2/3 of the data found within ±20% or ±0.05 of the AERONET AOD. This is similar to the performance of current satellite aerosol methods. Differences in the AOD as compared to AERONET can be explained by variations in the aerosol properties of the atmosphere that are not accounted for in the idealized settings used in the radiative transfer simulations, such as variations in the single scattering albedo and Ångström exponent. Furthermore, the method is sensitive to calibration offsets between the radiative transfer simulations and the pyranometer SSR. The method provides an opportunity of extending our knowledge of the atmospheric aerosol load to locations and times not covered by dedicated aerosol measurements.

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