scholarly journals Experimental and modeled UV erythemal irradiance under overcast conditions: the role of cloud optical depth

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 11723-11732 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Antón ◽  
L. Alados-Arboledas ◽  
J. L. Guerrero-Rascado ◽  
M. J. Costa ◽  
J. C Chiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Relative Difference ◽  
Visible Range ◽  
Exponential Dependence ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Modification Factor ◽  
High Bias ◽  
Sky Conditions

Abstract. This paper evaluates the relationship between the cloud modification factor (CMF) in the ultraviolet erythemal range and the cloud optical depth (COD) retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) "cloud mode" algorithm under overcast cloudy conditions (confirmed with sky images) at Granada, Spain, mainly for non-precipitating, overcast and relatively homogenous water clouds. Empirical CMF showed a clear exponential dependence on experimental COD values, decreasing approximately from 0.7 for COD = 10 to 0.25 for COD = 50. In addition, these COD measurements were used as input in the LibRadtran radiative transfer code allowing the simulation of CMF values for the selected overcast cases. The modeled CMF exhibited a dependence on COD similar to the empirical CMF, but modeled values present a strong underestimation with respect to the empirical factors (mean bias of 22%). To explain this high bias, an exhaustive comparison between modeled and experimental UV erythemal irradiance (UVER) data was performed. The comparison revealed that the radiative transfer simulations were 8% higher than the observations for clear-sky conditions. The rest of the bias (~14%) may be attributed to the substantial underestimation of modeled UVER with respect to experimental UVER under overcast conditions, although the correlation between both dataset was high (R2 ~ 0.93). A sensitive test showed that the main reason responsible for that underestimation is the experimental AERONET COD used as input in the simulations, which has been retrieved from zenith radiances in the visible range. In this sense, effective COD in the erythemal interval were derived from an iteration procedure based on searching the best match between modeled and experimental UVER values for each selected overcast case. These effective COD values were smaller than AERONET COD data in about 80% of the overcast cases with a mean relative difference of 22%.

scholarly journals Experimental and modeled UV erythemal irradiance under overcast conditions: the role of cloud optical depth

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 21241-21266
Author(s):  
M. Antón ◽  
L. Alados-Arboledas ◽  
J. L. Guerrero-Rascado ◽  
M. J. Costa ◽  
J. C. Chiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Depth ◽  
Relative Difference ◽  
Visible Range ◽  
Exponential Dependence ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Modification Factor ◽  
High Bias ◽  
Sky Conditions

Abstract. This paper evaluates the relationship between the cloud modification factor (CMF) in the ultraviolet erythemal range and the cloud optical depth (COD) retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) "cloud mode" algorithm under overcast cloudy conditions (confirmed with sky images) at Granada (Spain). Empirical CMF showed a clear exponential dependence on experimental COD values, decreasing approximately from 0.7 for COD = 10 to 0.25 for COD = 50. In addition, these COD measurements were used as input in the LibRadtran radiative transfer code allowing the simulation of CMF values for the selected overcast cases. The modeled CMF exhibited a dependence on COD similar to the empirical CMF, but modeled values present a strong underestimation with respect to the empirical factors (mean bias of 22%). To explain this high bias, an exhaustive comparison between modeled and experimental UV erythemal irradiance (UVER) data was performed. This exercise revealed that a significant part of the bias (~8%) may be related to code's overestimation of the experimental data for clear-sky conditions. The rest of the bias (~14%) may be attributed to the substantial underestimation of modeled UVER with respect to experimental UVER under overcast conditions, although the correlation between both dataset was high (R2 ~0.93). A sensitive test showed that the main responsible for that underestimation is the experimental AERONET COD used as input in the simulations, which has been retrieved from zenith radiances in the visible range. In this sense, effective COD in the erythemal interval were derived from an iteration procedure based on searching the best match between modeled and experimental UVER values for each selected overcast case. These effective COD values were smaller than AERONET COD data in about 80% of the overcast cases with a mean relative difference of 22%.

scholarly journals Assessment of cloud-related fine-mode AOD enhancements based on AERONET SDA product

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 5991-6001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Arola ◽  
Thomas F. Eck ◽  
Harri Kokkola ◽  
Mikko R. A. Pitkänen ◽  
Sami Romakkaniemi
Keyword(s):  
Optical Depth ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Hygroscopic Growth ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Cloud Processing ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Fine Mode ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Sky Conditions

Abstract. AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork), which is a network of ground-based sun photometers, produces a data product called the aerosol spectral deconvolution algorithm (SDA) that utilizes spectral total aerosol optical depth (AOD) data to infer the component fine- and coarse-mode optical depths at 500 nm. Based on its assumptions, SDA identifies cloud optical depth as the coarse-mode AOD component and therefore effectively computes the fine-mode AOD also in mixed cloud–aerosol observations. Therefore, it can be argued that the more representative AOD for fine-mode fraction should be based on all direct sun measurements and not only on those cloud screened for clear-sky conditions, i.e., on those from level 1 (L1) instead of level 2 (L2) in AERONET. The objective of our study was to assess, including all the available AERONET sites, how the fine-mode AOD is enhanced in cloudy conditions, contrasting SDA L1 and L2 in our analysis. Assuming that the cloud screening correctly separates the cloudy and clear-sky conditions, then the increases in fine-mode AOD can be due to various cloud-related processes, mainly by the strong hygroscopic growth of particles in the vicinity of clouds and in-cloud processing leading to growth of accumulation mode particles. We estimated these cloud-related enhancements in fine-mode AOD seasonally and found, for instance, that in June–August season the average over all the AERONET sites was 0.011, when total fine-mode AOD from L2 data was 0.154; therefore, the relative enhancement was 7 %. The enhancements were largest, both absolutely and relatively, in East Asia; for example, in June–August season the absolute and relative differences in fine-mode AOD, between L1 and L2 measurements, were 0.022 and 10 %, respectively. Corresponding values in North America and Europe were about 0.01 and 6–7 %. In some highly polluted areas, the enhancement is greater than these regional averages, e.g., in Beijing region and in June–July–August (JJA) season the corresponding absolute values were about 0.1. It is difficult to separate the fine-mode AOD enhancements due to in-cloud processing and hygroscopic growth, but we attempted to get some understanding by conducting a similar analysis for SDA-based fine-mode Ångström exponent (AE) patterns. Moreover, we exploited a cloud parcel model, in order to understand in detail the relative role of different processes. We found that in marine conditions, were aerosol concentration are low and cloud scavenging is efficient, the AE changes in opposite direction than in the more polluted conditions, were hygroscopic growth of particles leads to a negative AE change.

Retrieval of Cloud Optical Depth: Synergies between Whole Sky Imagers and Radiative Transfer Modeling.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Peris-Ferrús ◽  
José Luís Gómez-Amo ◽  
Francesco Scarlatti ◽  
Roberto Román ◽  
Claudia Emde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Radiative Transfer Modeling

scholarly journals Comparison of OMI NO<sub>2</sub> observations and their seasonal and weekly cycles with ground-based measurements in Helsinki

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iolanda Ialongo ◽  
Jay Herman ◽  
Nick Krotkov ◽  
Lok Lamsal ◽  
Folkert Boersma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Difference ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Weekly Cycle ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Standard Product ◽  
Weekly Cycles ◽  
Sky Conditions

Abstract. We present the comparison of satellite-based OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) NO2 products with ground-based observations in Helsinki. OMI NO2 total columns, available from standard product (SP) and DOMINO algorithm, are compared with the measurements performed by the Pandora spectrometer in Helsinki in 2012. The relative difference between Pandora #21 and OMI SP retrievals is 4 % and −6 % for clear sky and all sky conditions, respectively. DOMINO NO2 retrievals showed slightly lower total columns with median differences about −5 % and −14 % for clear sky and all sky conditions, respectively. Large differences often correspond to cloudy autumn-winter days with solar zenith angles above 65°. Nevertheless, the differences remain within the retrieval uncertainties. Furthermore, the weekly and seasonal cycles from OMI, Pandora and NO2 surface concentrations are compared. Both satellite- and ground-based data show a similar weekly cycle, with lower NO2 levels during the weekend compared to the weekdays as result of reduced emissions from traffic and industrial activities. Also the seasonal cycle shows a similar behaviour, even though the results are affected by the fact that most of the data are available during spring-summer because of cloud cover in other seasons. This is one of few works in which OMI NO2 retrievals are evaluated in a urban site at high latitudes (60° N). Despite the city of Helsinki having relatively small pollution sources, OMI retrievals have proved to be able to describe air quality features and variability similar to surface observations. This adds confidence in using satellite observations for air quality monitoring also at high latitudes.

scholarly journals Development of CO2 Band-Based Cloud Emission and Scattering Indices and Their Applications to FY-3D Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4171
Author(s):  
Xinlu Xia ◽  
Xiaolei Zou
Keyword(s):  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Co2 Absorption ◽  
Cloud Detection ◽  
Detection Scheme ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Temperature Observations ◽  
Cloud Top Pressure

The Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (HIRAS) onboard the Feng Yun-3D (FY-3D) satellite is the first Chinese hyperspectral infrared instrument. In this study, an improved cloud detection scheme using brightness temperature observations from paired HIRAS long-wave infrared (LWIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) channels at CO2 absorption bands (15-μm and 4.3-μm) is developed. The weighting function broadness and a set of height-dependent thresholds of cloud-sensitive-level differences are incorporated into pairing LWIR and SWIR channels. HIRAS brightness temperature observations made under clear-sky conditions during a training period are used to develop a set of linear regression equations between paired LWIR and SWIR channels. Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud mask data are used for selecting HIRAS clear-sky observations. Cloud Emission and Scattering Indices (CESIs) are defined as the differences in SWIR channels between HIRAS observations and regression simulations from LWIR observations. The cloud retrieval products of ice cloud optical depth and cloud-top pressure from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed cloud detection scheme for FY-3D HIRAS observations. Results show that the distributions of modified CESIs at different altitudes can capture features in the distributions of AIRS-retrieved ice cloud optical depth and cloud-top pressure better than the CESIs obtained by the original method.

scholarly journals Typical distribution of the solar erythemal UV radiation over Slovakia

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (17) ◽  
pp. 5393-5401 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pribullová ◽  
M. Chmelík
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Total Ozone ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Global Irradiance ◽  
Daily Dose ◽  
Monthly Total ◽  
Modification Factor ◽  
Typical Distribution ◽  
Sky Conditions

Abstract. Maps of solar erythemal ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance daily doses were created for every month with a horizontal resolution of 500 m at the geographical domain 47.15 N–49.86 N×16.94 E–22.81 E covering the territory of Slovakia. The cloud modification factor for the EUV radiation (cmfUV) was modeled utilizing the relation between the cloud modification factor of global and EUV radiation. The maps of the cmfUV factor were created by utilizing measurements of global irradiance performed at nine observatories during the period 1995–2004 and modeling of the cmfUV dependence on altitude. Maps of the EUV irradiance daily dose corresponded to clear-sky conditions and EUV irradiance daily dose affected by average cloudiness were constructed for mean monthly total ozone, its upper and lower monthly limits, for two probability levels of snow cover occurrence as criteria for the snow effect incorporation in the model and for one day representing typical values for every month. The map-set can be regarded as an atlas of solar EUV radiation over Slovakia.

scholarly journals Coupling sky images with three-dimensional radiative transfer models: a new method to estimate cloud optical depth

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 11285-11321 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Mejia ◽  
B. Kurtz ◽  
K. Murray ◽  
L. M. Hinkelman ◽  
M. Sengupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Zenith Angle ◽  
Microwave Radiometer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Cloud Detection ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
Direct Normal Irradiance

Abstract. A method for retrieving cloud optical depth (τc) using a ground-based sky imager (USI) is presented. The Radiance Red-Blue Ratio (RRBR) method is motivated from the analysis of simulated images of various τc produced by a 3-D Radiative Transfer Model (3DRTM). From these images the basic parameters affecting the radiance and RBR of a pixel are identified as the solar zenith angle (θ0), τc, solar pixel angle/scattering angle (&amp;vartheta;s), and pixel zenith angle/view angle (&amp;vartheta;z). The effects of these parameters are described and the functions for radiance, Iλ(τc, θ0, &amp;vartheta;s, &amp;vartheta;z) and the red-blue ratio, RBR(τc, θ0, &amp;vartheta;s, &amp;vartheta;z) are retrieved from the 3DRTM results. RBR, which is commonly used for cloud detection in sky images, provides non-unique solutions for τc, where RBR increases with τc up to about τc = 1 (depending on other parameters) and then decreases. Therefore, the RRBR algorithm uses the measured Iλmeas(&amp;vartheta;s, &amp;vartheta;z), in addition to RBRmeas(&amp;vartheta;s, &amp;vartheta;z) to obtain a unique solution for τc. The RRBR method is applied to images taken by a USI at the Oklahoma Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program (ARM) site over the course of 220 days and validated against measurements from a microwave radiometer (MWR); output from the Min method for overcast skies, and τc retrieved by Beer's law from direct normal irradiance (DNI) measurements. A τc RMSE of 5.6 between the Min method and the USI are observed. The MWR and USI have an RMSE of 2.3 which is well within the uncertainty of the MWR. An RMSE of 0.95 between the USI and DNI retrieved τc is observed. The procedure developed here provides a foundation to test and develop other cloud detection algorithms.

scholarly journals Aerosol properties and aerosol–radiation interactions in clear sky conditions over Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Witthuhn ◽  
Anja Hünerbein ◽  
Florian Filipitsch ◽  
Stefan Wacker ◽  
Stefanie Meilinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Kernel Method ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Observational Network ◽  
Level Of Agreement

Abstract. The clear-sky radiative effect of aerosol-radiation interactions is of relevance for our understanding of the climate system. The influence of aerosol on the surface energy budget is of high interest for the renewable energy sector. In this study, the radiative effect is investigated in particular with respect to seasonal and regional variations for the region of Germany and the year 2015 at the surface and top of atmosphere using two complementary approaches. First, an ensemble of clear-sky models which explicitly consider aerosols is utilized to retrieve the aerosol optical depth and the surface direct radiative effect of aerosols by means of a clear sky fitting technique. For this, short-wave broadband irradiance measurements in the absence of clouds are used as a basis. A clear sky detection algorithm is used to identify cloud free observations. Considered are measurements of the shortwave broadband global and diffuse horizontal irradiance with shaded and unshaded pyranometers at 25 stations across Germany within the observational network of the German Weather Service (DWD). Clear sky models used are MMAC, MRMv6.1, METSTAT, ESRA, Heliosat-1, CEM and the simplified Solis model. The definition of aerosol and atmospheric characteristics of the models are examined in detail for their suitability for this approach. Second, the radiative effect is estimated using explicit radiative transfer simulations with inputs on the meteorological state of the atmosphere, trace-gases and aerosol from CAMS reanalysis. The aerosol optical properties (aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, single scattering albedo and assymetrie parameter) are first evaluated with AERONET direct sun and inversion products. The largest inconsistency is found for the aerosol absorption, which is overestimated by about 0.03 or about 30 % by the CAMS reanalysis. Compared to the DWD observational network, the simulated global, direct and diffuse irradiances show reasonable agreement within the measurement uncertainty. The radiative kernel method is used to estimate the resulting uncertainty and bias of the simulated direct radiative effect. The uncertainty is estimated to −1.5 ± 7.7 and 0.6 ± 3.5 W m−2 at the surface and top of atmosphere, respectively, while the annual-mean biases at the surface, top of atmosphere and total atmosphere are −10.6, −6.5 and 4.1 W m−2, respectively. The retrieval of the aerosol radiative effect with the clear sky models shows a high level of agreement with the radiative transfer simulations, with an RMSE of 5.8 W m−2 and a correlation of 0.75. The annual mean of the REari at the surface for the 25 DWD stations shows a value of −12.8 ± 5 W m−2 as average over the clear sky models, compared to −11 W m−2 from the radiative transfer simulations. Since all models assume a fixed aerosol characterisation, the annual cycle of the aerosol radiation effect cannot be reproduced. Out of this set of clear sky models, the largest level of agreement is shown by the ESRA and MRMv6.1 models.

scholarly journals Irradiance and atmospheric optical properties from photovoltaic power data: model improvements and first results

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Barry ◽  
Dirk Böttcher ◽  
Johannes Grabenstein ◽  
Klaus Pfeilsticker ◽  
Anna Herman-Czezuch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Forward Model ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth ◽  
First Results ◽  
Weather Models

&lt;p&gt;Photovoltaic (PV) power data are a valuable but as yet under-utilised resource that could be used to characterise global irradiance with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. The resulting knowledge of atmospheric conditions can then be fed back into weather models and will ultimately serve to improve forecasts of PV power itself. This provides a data-driven alternative to statistical methods that use post-processing to overcome inconsistencies between ground-based irradiance measurements and the corresponding predictions of regional weather models (see for instance Frank et al., 2018). This work reports first results from an algorithm developed to infer global horizontal irradiance as well as atmospheric optical properties such as aerosol or cloud optical depth from PV power measurements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Building on previous work (Buchmann, 2018), an improved forward model of PV power as a function of atmospheric conditions was developed. As part of the BMWi-funded project MetPVNet, PV power data from twenty systems in the Allg&amp;#228;u region were made available, and the corresponding irradiance, temperature and wind speed were measured during two measurement campaigns in autumn 2018 and summer 2019. System calibration was performed using all available clear sky days; the corresponding irradiance was simulated using libRadtran (Emde et al., 2016). Particular attention was paid to describing the dynamic variations in PV module temperature in order to correctly take into account the heat capacity of the solar panels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PV power data from the calibrated systems were then used together with both the DISORT and MYSTIC radiative transfer codes (Emde et al., 2016) to infer aerosol optical depth, cloud optical depth and irradiance under all sky conditions. &amp;#160;The results were compared to predictions from the COSMO weather model, and the accuracy of the inverted quantities was compared using both a simple and more complex forward model. The potential of the method to extract irradiance data over a larger area as well as the increase in information from combining neighbouring PV systems will be explored in future work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&amp;#160; &lt;br&gt;Buchmann, T., 2018: Potenzial von Photovoltaikanlagen zur Ableitung raum-zeitlich hoch aufgel&amp;#246;ster Globalstrahlungsdaten. Heidelberg University, http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/24687/.&lt;br&gt;Emde, C., and Coauthors, 2016: The libRadtran software package for radiative transfer calculations (version 2.0.1). &lt;em&gt;Geosci. Model Dev.&lt;/em&gt;, 9, 1647&amp;#8211;1672, doi:10.5194/gmd-9-1647-2016. https://www.geosci-model-dev.net/9/1647/2016/.&lt;br&gt;Frank, C. W., S. Wahl, J. D. Keller, B. Pospichal, A. Hense, and S. Crewell, 2018: Bias correction of a novel European reanalysis data set for solar energy applications.&lt;em&gt; Sol. Energy&lt;/em&gt;, 164, 12&amp;#8211;24, doi:10.1016/j.solener.2018.02.012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.02.012.&lt;/p&gt;

Retrieval of cloud optical depth through radiative transfer and remote sensing: from 1D to 3D approach.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Peris-Ferrús ◽  
José-Luis Gómez-Amo ◽  
Pedro Catalán-Valdelomar ◽  
Francesco Scarlatti ◽  
Claudia Emde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Cloud Optical Depth
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