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The in situ procedure for determining the solar calibration constants, originally developed for the PREDE Sun--sky radiometers and based on a modified version of the Langley plot, was applied to a CIMEL instrument located in Valencia, Spain, not integrated into AERONET. Taking into account the different mechanical and electronic characteristics of the two radiometers, the method was adapted to the characteristics of the CIMEL instrument. The iterative procedure for the determination of the solar calibration constants was applied to a 3-year data set. The results were compared with the two sets of experimental calibration constants determined during this period using the standard Langley plot method. The agreement was found to be consistent with the experimental errors, and the method can definitely also be used to determine the solar calibration constant for the CIMEL instrument, improving its calibration. The method can be used provided the radiometer is previously calibrated for diffuse radiance using a standard lamp. a OCIS codes: 010.1290, 010.1110.

The ultraviolet narrowband filter radiometer (UV-RAD) designed by the authors to take ground-based measurements of UV solar irradiance, total ozone, and biological dose rate is described, together with the main characteristics of the seven blocked filters mounted on it, all of which have full widths at half maxima that range 0.67 to 0.98 nm. We have analyzed the causes of cosine response and calibration errors carefully to define the corresponding correction terms, paying particular attention to those that are due to the spectral displacements of the filter transmittance peaks from the integer wavelength values. The influence of the ozone profile on the retrieved ozone at large solar zenith angles has also been examined by means of field measurements. The opportunity of carrying out nearly monochromatic irradiance measurements offered by the UV-RAD allowed us to improve the procedure usually followed to reconstruct the solar spectrum at the surface by fitting the computed results, using radiative transfer models with field measurements of irradiance. Two long-term comparison campaigns took place, showing that a mean discrepancy of +0.3% exists between the UV-RAD total ozone values and those given by the Brewer #63 spectroradiometer and that mean differences of +0.3% and -0.9% exist between the erythemal dose rates determined with the UV-RAD and those obtained with the Brewer #63 and the Brewer #104 spectroradiometers, respectively. OCIS codes: 120.0120, 010.4950, 010.1290.

Precise calculations of the total Rayleigh-scattering optical depth have been performed at 88 wavelengths ranging from 0.20 to 4.00 [micro]m for the six well-known standard atmosphere models by integrating the volume Rayleigh-scattering coefficient along the vertical atmospheric path from sea level to a 120-km height. The coefficient was determined by use of an improved algorithm based on the Ciddor algorithm [Appl. Opt. 35, 1566 (1996)], extended by us over the 0.20-0.23-[micro]m wavelength range to evaluate the moist air refractive index as a function of wavelength, air pressure, temperature, water-vapor partial pressure, and C[O.sub.2] volume concentration. The King depolarization factor was also defined taking into account the moisture conditions of air. The results indicate that the influence of water vapor on Rayleigh scattering cannot be neglected at tropospheric altitudes: for standard atmospheric conditions represented in terms of the U.S. Standard Atmosphere (1976) model, the relative variations produced by water vapor in the Rayleigh scattering parameters at a 0.50-[micro]m wavelength turn out to be equal to -0.10% in the moist air refractivity at sea level (where the water-vapor partial pressure is equal to [approximately equal to] 7.8 hPa), 0.04% in the sea-level King factor, - 0.24% in the sea-level Rayleigh-scattering cross section, and -0.06% in the Rayleigh-scattering optical depth. OCIS codes: 010.1310, 280.1310.

The atmospheric water vapor is an important indicator of the Earth's climate state and evolution. We therefore aimed at calculating the content and long-term variation of the precipitable water vapor at five coastal Antarctic stations, i.e., Casey, Davis, Mawson, McMurdo, and Mario Zucchelli. To do that, we processed the 12-year time series of GPS and radiosounding (RS) observations acquired at those stations, with the purpose of ensuring the utmost accuracy of the results adopting homogeneous, consistent, and up-to-date processing strategies for both data sets. Using the two fully independent techniques, rather consistent contents and seasonal variations of precipitable water were detected, mainly ranging from 1 (Austral winter) to 10 mm (Austral summer). At each site, correlation coefficients varying from 0.86 to 0.91 were found between the GPS and RS time series, with mean discrepancies $\leq$0.75 mm. There is no clear indication regarding the possible dry or wet biases of one technique with respect to the other, with only a notable GPS wet bias identified at Mawson and a dry bias at Casey that, nevertheless, correspond to an average difference of $<$ 1 mm on the two series; the biases at the other sites are much smaller. Although extremely small, i.e., ranging from −0.03 to 0.04 mm/year, the linear trends of the series are not always consistent in sign. In accordance with the major climate models, the RS linear trends are mostly positive, whereas depending on the site, GPS exhibits a (very small) decrease or increase in water vapor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New calculations of the relative optical air mass function are made over the 0°-87° range of apparent solar zenith angle ?, for various vertical profiles of background aerosol, diamond dust and thin cirrus cloud particle extinction coefficient in the Arctic and Antarctic atmospheres. The calculations were carried out by following the Tomasi and Petkov (2014) procedure, in which the above-mentioned vertical profiles derived from lidar observations were used as weighting functions. Different sets of lidar measurements were examined, recorded using: (i) the Koldewey-Aerosol-Raman Lidar (KARL) system (AWI, Germany) at Ny-Ålesund (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) in January, April, July and October 2013; (ii) the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite-based sensor over Barrow (Alaska), Eureka (Nunavut, Canada) and Sodankylä (northern Finland), and Neumayer III, Mario Zucchelli and Mirny coastal stations in Antarctica in the local summer months of the last two years; (iii) the National Institute of Optics (INO), National Council of Research (CNR) Antarctic lidar at Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau for a typical "diamond dust" case; and (iv) the KARL lidar at Ny-Ålesund and the University of Rome/National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) lidar at Thule (northwestern Greenland) for some cirrus cloud layers in the middle and upper troposphere. The relative optical air mass calculations are compared with those obtained by Tomasi and Petkov (2014) to define the seasonal changes produced by aerosol particles, diamond dust and cirrus clouds. The results indicate that the corresponding air mass functions generally decrease as angle θ increases with rates that are proportional to the increase in the pure aerosol, diamond dust and cirrus cloud particle optical thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For most parts of the year the Antarctic Plateau has a surface temperature inversion with strength c. 20 K. Under such conditions the warmer air at the top of the inversion layer contributes more to the clear sky atmospheric longwave radiation at surface level than does the colder air near the ground. Hence, it is more appropriate to relate longwave irradiance (LWI) to the top of the inversion layer temperature (Tm) than to the ground level temperature (Tg). Analysis of radio soundings carried out at Dome C and South Pole during 2006–08 shows that the temperature at 400 m above the surface (T400) is a good proxy for Tm and is linearly related to Tg with correlation coefficients greater than 0.8. During summer, radiosonde measurements show almost isothermal conditions, hence T400 still remains a good proxy for the lower troposphere maximum temperature. A methodology is presented to parameterize the clear sky effective emissivity in terms of the troposphere maximum temperature, using ground temperature measurements. The predicted LWI values for both sites are comparable with those obtained using radiative transfer models, while for Dome C the bias of 0.8 W m-2 and the root mean square (RMS) of 6.2 W m-2 are lower than those calculated with previously published parametric equations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A four-year set of vertical profiles of pressure, temperature and relative humidity derived from 1113 radiosoundings performed at Dome C (Antarctica) at 12h00 UT of each day, from late March 2005 to the end of March 2009, was examined by following a complex procedure for removing the most important lag errors and dry biases from the temperature and moisture data. The analysis provides evidence of annual cycles over the four years, characterizing the pressure and temperature conditions at the surface and at the various troposphere and low stratosphere levels, with maxima in summer and wide minima in winter for both parameters. Specific studies of the thermal parameters characterizing the ground layer and the tropopause region are also presented to describe their annual average variations. The analysis of moisture parameters indicates that absolute humidity varies regularly with season within the low troposphere, presenting well marked peaks in the summer months. Consequently, precipitable water was found to vary regularly during the year, from values of 0.2–0.4 mm in the winter to more than 0.6 mm in summer. The main year-to-year variations characterizing the monthly mean vertical profiles of pressure, temperature and moisture parameters are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The time-patterns of ground-level solar irradiance during the solar eclipse of 29 March, 2006, were observed at three Italian stations (Lampedusa, Mt. Cimone and Bologna) using different radiometric techniques. The global irradiance measured at the sites was found to reach the minimum at times not coinciding with those predicted by radiative transfer model evaluations, with ahead or lag times depending on the optical characteristics of the surface–atmosphere system in the areas surrounding of the stations. This different behaviour has been mainly attributed to the different influence of the environmental conditions on the diffuse radiance component measured at the observation sites. The present results indicate that the incoming diffuse radiance recorded at the three stations was appreciably affected by contributions arising from extended regions of about 30–100km range from the stations. Such an explanation agrees very well with the theoretical evaluations obtained in earlier studies. The surrounding environmental areas of impact at ultraviolet wavelengths have been found to be wider than those in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two-channel sun photometers can be easily employed at Antarctic sites, where harsh environmental conditions prevail, to carry out measurements of precipitable water W. In the very dry air conditions observed in the Antarctic atmosphere, water vapor does not produce strong absorption features along the sun path. Therefore, these instruments need to be calibrated using analytical forms different from the square root regime, which can be determined by simulating the output voltages measured at Antarctic sites, for the spectral near-IR curves of extraterrestrial solar irradiance, instrumental responsivity parameters, and atmospheric transmittance, relative to various measurement periods. For this purpose, average models of the Antarctic atmosphere from the ground level up to the 30-km altitude were considered for different solar zenith angles and relative humidity conditions. The ratios between the output voltages simulated in the band and window channels were plotted as a function of total water vapor content Cw, for each site and each period, to define the best-fit calibration curves, which were subsequently normalized to the field measurements to take into account the aging effects on the filter transmission characteristics. Each of the five calibration curves was found to present a slope coefficient decreasing gradually with Cw from values higher than 0.8 to about 0.6. Using these curves, measurements of W were obtained, which differ appreciably at both sea level and high-altitude sites from those given by the square root calibration curves, avoiding large overestimation errors of 10%–40% at the high-altitude sites and underestimation errors of 5%–15% at the sea level site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric humidity in the Polar Regions is an important factor for the global budget of water vapour, which is a significant indicator of Earth's climate state and evolution. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can make a valuable contribution in the calculation of the amount of Precipitable Water Vapour (PW). The PW values retrieved from Global Positioning System (GPS), hereafter PWGPS, refer to 20-year observations acquired by more than 40 GNSS geodetic stations located in the polar regions. For GNSS stations co-located with radio-sounding stations (RS), which operate Vaisala radiosondes, we estimated the PW from RS observations (PWRS). The PW values from the ERA-Interim global atmospheric reanalysis were used for validation and comparison of the results for all the selected GPS and RS stations. The correlation coefficients between times series are very high: 0.96 for RS and GPS, 0.98 for RS and ERA in the Arctic; 0.89 for RS and GPS, 0.97 for RS and ERA in Antarctica. The Root-Mean-Square of the Error (RMSE) is 0.9 mm on average for both RS vs. GPS and RS vs. ERA in the Arctic, and 0.6 mm for RS vs. GPS and 0.4 mm for RS vs. ERA in Antarctica. After validation, long-term trends, both for Arctic and Antarctic regions, were estimated using Hector scientific software. Positive PWGPS trends dominate at Arctic sites near the borders of the Atlantic Ocean. Sites located at higher latitudes show no significant values (at 1σ level). Negative PWGPS trends were observed in the Arctic region of Greenland and North America. A similar behaviour was found in the Arctic for PWRS trends. The stations in the West Antarctic sector show a general positive PWGPS trend, while the sites on the coastal area of East Antarctica exhibit some significant negative PWGPS trends, but in most cases, no significant PWRS trends were found. The present work confirms that GPS is able to provide reliable estimates of water vapour content in Arctic and Antarctic regions too, where data are sparse and not easy to collect. These preliminary results can give a valid contribution to climate change studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]