Instruments to measure solar ultraviolet irradiance. Part 1: Spectral instruments (original) (raw)

The 1997 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Spectroradiometers Including Narrowband Filter Radiometers

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2002

The fourth North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held September 15 to 25, 1997 at Table Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado, USA. Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. The main purpose of the Intercomparison was to assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks. This Intercomparison was coordinated by NIST and NOAA, and included participants from the ASRC, EPA, NIST, NSF, SERC, USDA, and YES. The UV measuring instruments included scanning spectroradiometers, spectrographs, narrow band multi-filter radiometers, and broadband radiometers. Instruments were characterized for wavelength accuracy, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity. The spectral irradiance responsivity was determined two to three times outdoors to assess temporal stability. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST traceable standard lamp, and a simple convolution technique with a Gaussian slit-scattering function to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiance from the spectroradiometers excluding the filter radiometers at 16.5 h UTC had a relative standard deviation of Ϯ4 % for wavelengths greater than 305 nm. The relative standard deviation for the solar irradiance at 16.5 h UTC including the filter radiometer was Ϯ4 % for filter functions above 300 nm.

The 1994 North American interagency intercomparison of ultraviolet monitoring spectroradiometers

… OF STANDARDS AND …, 1997

Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. To assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks, the first North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held September 19-29,

2003 North American interagency intercomparison of ultraviolet spectroradiometers: scanning and spectrograph instruments

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 2008

The fifth North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held June 13 to 21, 2003 at Table Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado, USA. The main purpose of the Intercomparison was to assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks. This Intercomparison was coordinated by NOAA and included participants from six national and international agencies. The UV measuring instruments included scanning spectroradiometers, spectrographs, and multi-filter radiometers. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed between June 16 and 20, 2003. The spectral responsivities were determined for each instrument using the participants' lamps and calibration procedures and with NOAA/CUCF standard lamps. This paper covers the scanning spectroradiometers and the one spectrograph. The solar irradiance measurements from the different instruments were deconvolved using a high resolution extraterrestrial solar irradiance and reconvolved with a 1-nm triangular bandpass to account for differences in the bandwidths of the instruments. The measured solar irradiance from the spectroradiometers using the rivmSHIC algorithm on a clear-sky day on DOY 172 at 17.0 UTC (SZA = 30°) had a relative 1-σ standard deviation of +/-2.6 to 3.4% for 300-to 360-nm using the participants' calibration.

Extensive validation of solar spectral irradiance meters at the World Radiation Center

Solar Energy, 2018

A comprehensive uncertainty analysis validates a Solar Spectral Irradiance Meter (SolarSIM) for accurately resolving the spectral and broadband direct normal irradiances (DNI), spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water vapour and atmospheric total column ozone amounts. The derivation of these parameters from four SolarSIMs were compared to reference instrumentation at the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos and World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC) in Davos, Switzerland in September 2015. The SolarSIMs are the first instruments to ever simultaneously participate in the 12th WMO International Pyrheliometer Comparison, Fourth Filter Radiometer Comparison, and First Spectroradiometer Comparison. The SolarSIMs' DNI data were compared to the World Standard Group's PMO2 absolute cavity radiometer, with World Radiometric Reference factors ranging from 0.999674 to 0.994610 for the best and the worst performing devices, respectively. In addition, the SolarSIMs' spectral DNI data was compared against PMOD's Precision Spectral Radiometer. The mean difference of the spectral DNI was found to be less than 5% for wavelengths above 400 nm. The SolarSIMs' measurements of AOD data were compared against PMOD's Precision Filter Radiometer triad. The median AOD differences and their standard deviations were found to be 0.0046 ± 0.0044, 0.0016 ± 0.0034, 0.0018 ± 0.0026, and 0.0041 ± 0.0022 for 368 nm, 412 nm, 500 nm, and 865 nm, respectively. The SolarSIMs' measurements of precipitable water vapour were compared against PMOD's Cimel CE318 sun photometer. The median difference and the corresponding standard deviation averaged 1 ± 0.2 mm for all SolarSIMs. Furthermore, the SolarSIMs' measurements of total column atmospheric ozone were compared against PMOD's Brewer MkIII spectrophotometer. The median difference and the corresponding standard deviation averaged 6 ± 7 DU for all SolarSIMs.

Intercomparison of Spectroradiometers for Global and Direct Solar Irradiance in the Visible Range

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 2003

This paper presents the results of the analysis of the spectral, global, and direct solar irradiance measurements in the visible range (400–700 nm) that were made in the framework of the first Iberian UV–visible (VIS) instruments intercomparison. The instruments used in this spectral range were four spectroradiometers: three Licor 1800s equipped with different receiver optics and one Optronic 754. For the direct solar irradiance measurements the spectroradiometers were equipped with collimators with different fields of view. Parallel studies have been carried out with the data given by the spectroradiometers with their original calibration file and with the same data that is corrected, following in situ calibration of the instruments using a laboratory reference lamp. To compare the series of spectral data the relative values of mean absolute deviation (MAD) and root-mean-square deviation (rmsd) have been used. The results obtained from the measurements of global irradiance show tha...