scholarly journals Aerosol Optical Depth comparison between GAW-PFR and AERONET-Cimel radiometers from long term (2005–2015) 1-minute synchronous measurements

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Cuevas ◽  
Pedro Miguel Romero-Campos ◽  
Natalia Kouremeti ◽  
Stelios Kazadzis ◽  
Rosa Delia García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Rayleigh Scattering ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
The World ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
Cloud Screening ◽  
Fixed Period

Abstract. A comprehensive comparison of more than 70000 synchronous 1-minute aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from three Global Atmosphere Watch-Precision Filter Radiometer (GAW-PFR) and 15 Aerosol Robotic Network-Cimel (AERONET-Cimel) radiometers was performed for the four nearby wavelengths (380, 440, 500 and 870 nm) in the period 2005–2015. The goal of this study is to assess whether, despite the marked differences between both networks and the number of instruments used, their long term AOD data are comparable and consistent. AOD traceability established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) consists in determining the percentage of synchronous data within specific limits. If, at least, 95 % of the AOD differences of an instrument compared to the WMO standards lie within these limits, both data populations are considered equivalent. The percentage of traceable data is 92.7 % (380 nm), 95.7 % (440 nm), 95.8 % (500 nm) and 98.0 % (870 nm). When small misalignments in GAW-PFR sun-pointing were fixed (period 2010–2015), the percentage of traceable data increased. The contribution of calibration related aspects to comparison outside the 95 % traceability limits is insignificant in all channels, except in 380 nm. The simultaneous failure of both cloud screening algorithms might occur only under the presence of cirrus, or altostratus clouds on the top of a dust-laden Saharan air layer. Differences in the calculation of the optical depth contribution due to Rayleigh scattering, and O3 and NO2 absorption have a negligible impact. For AOD > 0.1, a non-negligible percentage (≈ 1.9 %) of the AOD data outside the 95 % traceability limits at 380 nm can be partly assigned to the different field of view of the instruments. The comparison of the Angström exponent (AE) shows that under non-pristine conditions (AOD > 0.03 and AE

scholarly journals Aerosol optical depth comparison between GAW-PFR and AERONET-Cimel radiometers from long-term (2005–2015) 1 min synchronous measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 4309-4337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Cuevas ◽  
Pedro Miguel Romero-Campos ◽  
Natalia Kouremeti ◽  
Stelios Kazadzis ◽  
Petri Räisänen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Rayleigh Scattering ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
The World ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
Uv Range

Abstract. A comprehensive comparison of more than 70 000 synchronous 1 min aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from three Global Atmosphere Watch precision-filter radiometers (GAW-PFR), traceable to the World AOD reference, and 15 Aerosol Robotic Network Cimel radiometers (AERONET-Cimel), calibrated individually with the Langley plot technique, was performed for four common or “near” wavelengths, 380, 440, 500 and 870 nm, in the period 2005–2015. The goal of this study is to assess whether, despite the marked technical differences between both networks (AERONET, GAW-PFR) and the number of instruments used, their long-term AOD data are comparable and consistent. The percentage of data meeting the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) traceability requirements (95 % of the AOD differences of an instrument compared to the WMO standards lie within specific limits) is >92 % at 380 nm, >95 % at 440 nm and 500 nm, and 98 % at 870 nm, with the results being quite similar for both AERONET version 2 (V2) and version 3 (V3). For the data outside these limits, the contribution of calibration and differences in the calculation of the optical depth contribution due to Rayleigh scattering and O3 and NO2 absorption have a negligible impact. For AOD >0.1, a small but non-negligible percentage (∼1.9 %) of the AOD data outside the WMO limits at 380 nm can be partly assigned to the impact of dust aerosol forward scattering on the AOD calculation due to the different field of view of the instruments. Due to this effect the GAW-PFR provides AOD values, which are ∼3 % lower at 380 nm and ∼2 % lower at 500 nm compared with AERONET-Cimel. The comparison of the Ångström exponent (AE) shows that under non-pristine conditions (AOD >0.03 and AE <1) the AE differences remain <0.1. This long-term comparison shows an excellent traceability of AERONET-Cimel AOD with the World AOD reference at 440, 500 and 870 nm channels and a fairly good agreement at 380 nm, although AOD should be improved in the UV range.

scholarly journals Aerosol optical depth retrievals at the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory from 1941 to 2013 by using artificial neural networks

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. García ◽  
O. E. García ◽  
E. Cuevas ◽  
V. E. Cachorro ◽  
A. Barreto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Artificial Neural Networks ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
Artificial Neural

Abstract. This paper presents the reconstruction of a 73-year time series of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm at the subtropical high-mountain Izaña Atmospheric Observatory (IZO) located in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). For this purpose, we have combined AOD estimates from artificial neural networks (ANNs) from 1941 to 2001 and AOD measurements directly obtained with a Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) between 2003 and 2013. The analysis is limited to summer months (July–August–September), when the largest aerosol load is observed at IZO (Saharan mineral dust particles). The ANN AOD time series has been comprehensively validated against coincident AOD measurements performed with a solar spectrometer Mark-I (1984–2009) and AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) CIMEL photometers (2004–2009) at IZO, obtaining a rather good agreement on a daily basis: Pearson coefficient, R, of 0.97 between AERONET and ANN AOD, and 0.93 between Mark-I and ANN AOD estimates. In addition, we have analysed the long-term consistency between ANN AOD time series and long-term meteorological records identifying Saharan mineral dust events at IZO (synoptical observations and local wind records). Both analyses provide consistent results, with correlations  >  85 %. Therefore, we can conclude that the reconstructed AOD time series captures well the AOD variations and dust-laden Saharan air mass outbreaks on short-term and long-term timescales and, thus, it is suitable to be used in climate analysis.

scholarly journals Aerosol optical depth retrievals at the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory from 1941 to 2013 by using artificial neural networks

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 9075-9103 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. García ◽  
O. E. García ◽  
E. Cuevas ◽  
V. E. Cachorro ◽  
A. Barreto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Artificial Neural Networks ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
Artificial Neural

Abstract. This paper presents the reconstruction of the 73 year time series of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm at the subtropical high-mountain Izaña Atmospheric Observatory (IZO) located in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). For this purpose, we have combined AOD estimates from artificial neural networks (ANNs) from 1941 to 2001 and AOD measurements directly obtained with a Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) between 2003 and 2013. The analysis is limited to summer months (July–August–September), when the largest aerosol load is observed at IZO (Saharan mineral dust particles). The ANN AOD time series has been comprehensively validated against coincident AOD measurements performed with a solar spectrometer Mark-I (1984–2009) and AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) CIMEL photometers (2004–2009) at IZO, obtaining a rather good agreement on a daily basis: Pearson coefficient, R, of 0.97 between AERONET and ANN AOD, and 0.93 between Mark-I and ANN AOD estimates. In addition, we have analyzed the long-term consistency between ANN AOD time series and long-term meteorological records identifying Saharan mineral dust events at IZO (synoptical observations and local wind records). Both analyses provide consistent results, with correlations larger than 85 %. Therefore, we can conclude the reconstructed AOD time series captures well the AOD variations and dust-laden Saharan air mass outbreaks at short-term and long-term time scales and, thus, it is suitable to be used in climate analysis.

scholarly journals Results from the Fourth WMO Filter Radiometer Comparison for aerosol optical depth measurements

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 3185-3201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stelios Kazadzis ◽  
Natalia Kouremeti ◽  
Henri Diémoz ◽  
Julian Gröbner ◽  
Bruce W. Forgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
The World ◽  
Near Future

Abstract. This study presents the results of the Fourth Filter Radiometer Comparison that was held in Davos, Switzerland, between 28 September and 16 October 2015. Thirty filter radiometers and spectroradiometers from 12 countries participated including reference instruments from global aerosol networks. The absolute differences of all instruments compared to the reference have been based on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) criterion defined as follows: 95% of the measured data has to be within 0.005 ± 0.001∕m (where m is the air mass). At least 24 out of 29 instruments achieved this goal at both 500 and 865 nm, while 12 out of 17 and 13 out of 21 achieved this at 368 and 412 nm, respectively. While searching for sources of differences among different instruments, it was found that all individual differences linked to Rayleigh, NO2, ozone, water vapor calculations and related optical depths and air mass calculations were smaller than 0.01 in aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 and 865 nm. Different cloud-detecting algorithms used have been compared. Ångström exponent calculations showed relatively large differences among different instruments, partly because of the high calculation uncertainty of this parameter in low AOD conditions. The overall low deviations of these AOD results and the high accuracy of reference aerosol network instruments demonstrated a promising framework to achieve homogeneity, compatibility and harmonization among the different spectral AOD networks in the near future.

scholarly journals Recovering Long-term Aerosol Optical Depth Series (1976–2012) from an Astronomical Potassium-based Resonance Scattering Spectrometer

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 4093-4121 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Barreto ◽  
E. Cuevas ◽  
P. Pallé ◽  
P. M. Romero ◽  
F. Almansa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Resonant Scattering ◽  
Resonance Scattering ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
Scattered Component

Abstract. A 37 year long-term series of monochromatic Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) has been recovered from solar irradiance measurements performed with the solar spectrometer Mark-I, deployed at Izaña mountain since 1976. The instrument operation is based on the method of resonant scattering, which presents a long-term stability and high precision in comparison to other instruments based on interference filters. However, it has been specifically designed as a reference instrument for helioseismology, and its ability to determine AOD from transmitted and scattered monochromatic radiation at 769.9 nm inside a potassium vapor cell in the presence of a permanent magnetic field is evaluated in this paper. Particularly, the use of an exposed mirrors arrangement to collect sunlight as well as the Sun-laboratory velocity dependence of the scattered component introduces some inconveniences when we perform the instrument's calibration. We have solved this problem using a quasi-continuous Langley calibration technique and a refinement procedure to correct for calibration errors as well as for the fictitious diurnal cycle on AOD data. Our results showed that calibration errors associated to the quasi-continuous Langley technique are not dependent on aerosol load, provided aerosol concentration remains constant throughout the day, assuring the validity of this technique for those periods with relatively high aerosol content required to calibrate the scattered component. The comparative analysis between the recovered AOD dataset from Mark-I and collocated quasi-simultaneous data from Cimel AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) instruments showed an absolute mean bias &amp;leq; 0.01 in the 11 year and 12 year comparison, respectively. High correlation coefficients between AERONET/Mark-I and PFR/Mark-I pairs confirmed a very good linear relationship between instruments, proving that recovered AOD data series from Mark-I can be used together PFR and AERONET AOD data to build a long-term AOD data series at Izaña site (1976–now), suitable for future analysis of aerosols trends and inter-annual variability. Finally, the AOD preliminary trend analysis in the 29 year period from 1984 to 2012 with Mark-I AOD revealed no significant trends. However, we detected a negative significant trend of 0.047 decade−1 during the period 1984–1993.

scholarly journals Recovering long-term aerosol optical depth series (1976–2012) from an astronomical potassium-based resonance scattering spectrometer

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4103-4116 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Barreto ◽  
E. Cuevas ◽  
P. Pallé ◽  
P. M. Romero ◽  
C. Guirado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Resonant Scattering ◽  
Resonance Scattering ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Filter Radiometer

Abstract. A 37-year long-term series of monochromatic aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been recovered from solar irradiance measurements performed with the solar spectrometer Mark-I, deployed at Izaña mountain since 1976. The instrument operation is based on the method of resonant scattering, which affords wavelength absolute reference and stability (long-term stability and high precision) in comparison to other instruments based purely on interference filters. However, it has been specifically designed as a reference instrument for helioseismology, and its ability to determine AOD from transmitted and scattered monochromatic radiation at 769.9 nm inside a potassium vapour cell in the presence of a permanent magnetic field is evaluated in this paper. Particularly, the use of an exposed mirror arrangement to collect sunlight as well as the Sun–laboratory velocity dependence of the scattered component introduces some important inconveniences to overcome when we perform the instrument's calibration. We have solved this problem using a quasi-continuous Langley calibration technique and a refinement procedure to correct for calibration errors as well as for the fictitious diurnal cycle on AOD data. Our results showed similar calibration errors retrieved by means of this quasi-continuous Langley technique applied in different aerosol load events (from 0.04 to 0.3), provided aerosol concentration remains constant throughout the calibration interval. It assures the validity of this technique when it is applied in those periods with relatively high aerosol content. The comparative analysis between the recovered AOD data set from the Mark-I and collocated quasi-simultaneous data from the Cimel-AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) instruments showed an absolute mean bias &amp;leq; 0.01 in the 10- and 12-year comparison, respectively. High correlation coefficients between AERONET and Mark-I and PFR/Mark-I pairs confirmed a very good linear relationship between instruments, proving that recovered AOD data series from Mark-I can be used together with PFR and AERONET AOD data to build a long-term AOD data series at the Izaña site (1976–now), suitable for future analysis of aerosols trends and inter-annual variability. Finally, the AOD preliminary trend analysis in the 29-year period from 1984 to 2012 with Mark-I AOD revealed no significant trends.

scholarly journals Reducing cloud contamination in aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 2787-2798
Author(s):  
Verena Schenzinger ◽  
Axel Kreuter
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Nearest Neighbour ◽  
Cloud Detection ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Scanning Time ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
Cloud Screening

Abstract. We propose a new cloud screening method for sun photometry that is designed to effectively filter thin clouds. Our method is based on a k-nearest-neighbour algorithm instead of scanning time series of aerosol optical depth. Using 10 years of data from a precision filter radiometer in Innsbruck, we compare our new method and the currently employed screening technique. We exemplify the performance of the two routines in different cloud conditions. While both algorithms agree on the classification of a data point as clear or cloudy in a majority of the cases, the new routine is found to be more effective in flagging thin clouds. We conclude that this simple method can serve as a valid alternative for cloud detection, and we discuss the generalizability to other observation sites.

scholarly journals Reducing cloud contamination in AOD measurements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena Schenzinger ◽  
Axel Kreuter
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
New Method ◽  
Nearest Neighbour ◽  
Cloud Detection ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Filter Radiometer ◽  
Cloud Screening

Abstract. We propose a new cloud screening method for sun photometry that is designed to effectively filter thin clouds. Our method is based on a k-nearest neighbour algorithm instead of scanning timeseries of aerosol optical depth. Using ten years of data from a precision filter radiometer in Innsbruck, we compare our new method and the currently employed screening technique. We exemplify the performance of the two routines in different cloud conditions. While both algorithms agree on the classification of a datapoint as clear or cloudy in a majority of the cases, the new routine is found to be more effective in flagging thin clouds. We conclude that this simple method can serve as a valid alternative for cloud detection, and discuss the generalizability to other observation sites.

Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements at high altitude and polar WMO Global Atmospheric Watch - PFR Network Stations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stelios Kazadzis ◽  
Natalia Kouremeti ◽  
Julian Groebner
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climate Variable ◽  
Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽  
Mauna Loa ◽  
Filter Radiometer

&lt;p&gt;Multiwavelength aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been defined as an essential climate variable for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Program of the World Meteorological Organization. It is the most important parameter related to aerosol radiative forcing studies. PMOD/WRC have developed the Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) that has been used for long term AOD measurements under a GAW-PFR Network of sun-photometers started in 1995 at Davos Switzerland and from 1999 at other locations, worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here we present:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An overview of the results of the long term GAW-PFR AOD series for four high altitude stations (Izana/Spain, Mauna Loa/USA, Mt. Walliguan/China and Jungfraujoch/Switzerland). Mean AODs at 500nm were from 0.015 up to 0.096 with small negative changes per year for all stations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An overview of the results for polar stations (Ny &amp;#197;lesund/Norway, Summit/Denmark, Marambio/Finland). Ny &amp;#197;lesund mean AODs at 500nm were almost double compared with the other stations.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Merging regional and global aerosol optical depth records from major available satellite products

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 2031-2056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Sogacheva ◽  
Thomas Popp ◽  
Andrew M. Sayer ◽  
Oleg Dubovik ◽  
Michael J. Garay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Multiple Products ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Satellite Platform ◽  
The World ◽  
Satellite Sensors ◽  
Regional Analyses

Abstract. Satellite instruments provide a vantage point for studying aerosol loading consistently over different regions of the world. However, the typical lifetime of a single satellite platform is on the order of 5–15 years; thus, for climate studies, the use of multiple satellite sensors should be considered. Discrepancies exist between aerosol optical depth (AOD) products due to differences in their information content, spatial and temporal sampling, calibration, cloud masking, and algorithmic assumptions. Users of satellite-based AOD time-series are confronted with the challenge of choosing an appropriate dataset for the intended application. In this study, 16 monthly AOD products obtained from different satellite sensors and with different algorithms were inter-compared and evaluated against Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) monthly AOD. Global and regional analyses indicate that products tend to agree qualitatively on the annual, seasonal and monthly timescales but may be offset in magnitude. Several approaches were then investigated to merge the AOD records from different satellites and create an optimised AOD dataset. With few exceptions, all merging approaches lead to similar results, indicating the robustness and stability of the merged AOD products. We introduce a gridded monthly AOD merged product for the period 1995–2017. We show that the quality of the merged product is as least as good as that of individual products. Optimal agreement of the AOD merged product with AERONET further demonstrates the advantage of merging multiple products. This merged dataset provides a long-term perspective on AOD changes over different regions of the world, and users are encouraged to use this dataset.

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