Sky Radiance Measurements Research Articles

Retrieving vertical ozone profiles from measurements of global spectral irradiance

Abstract. A new method is presented to determine vertical ozone profiles from measurements of spectral global (direct Sun plus upper hemisphere) irradiance in the ultraviolet. The method is similar to the widely used Umkehr technique, which inverts measurements of zenith sky radiance. The procedure was applied to measurements of a high-resolution spectroradiometer installed near the centre of the Greenland ice sheet. Retrieved profiles were validated with balloon-sonde observations and ozone profiles from the space-borne Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). Depending on altitude, the bias between retrieval results presented in this paper and MLS observations ranges between −5 and +3 %. The magnitude of this bias is comparable, if not smaller, to values reported in the literature for the standard Dobson Umkehr method. Total ozone columns (TOCs) calculated from the retrieved profiles agree to within 0.7±2.0 % (±1σ) with TOCs measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on board the Aura satellite. The new method is called the Global-Umkehr method.

Sky radiance at a coastline and effects of land and ocean reflectivities

Abstract. We present a unique case study of the spectral sky radiance distribution above a coastline. Results are shown from a measurement campaign in Italy involving three diode array spectroradiometers which are compared to 3-D model simulations from the Monte Carlo model MYSTIC. On the coast, the surrounding is split into two regions, a diffusely reflecting land surface and a water surface which features a highly anisotropic reflectance function. The reflectivities and hence the resulting radiances are a nontrivial function of solar zenith and azimuth angle and wavelength. We show that for low solar zenith angles (SZAs) around noon, the higher land albedo causes the sky radiance at 20° above the horizon to increase by 50 % in the near infrared at 850 nm for viewing directions towards the land with respect to the ocean. Comparing morning and afternoon radiances highlights the effect of the ocean's sun glint at high SZA, which contributes around 10 % to the measured radiance ratios. The model simulations generally agree with the measurements to better than 10 %. We investigate the individual effects of model input parameters representing land and ocean albedo and aerosols. Different land and ocean bi-directional reflectance functions (BRDFs) do not generally improve the model agreement. However, consideration of the uncertainties in the diurnal variation of aerosol optical depth can explain the remaining discrepancies between measurements and model. We further investigate the anisotropy effect of the ocean BRDF which is featured in the zenith radiances. Again, the uncertainty of the aerosol loading is dominant and obscures the modelled sun glint effect of 7 % at 650 nm. Finally, we show that the effect on the zenith radiance is restricted to a few kilometres from the coastline by model simulations along a perpendicular transect and by comparing the radiances at the coast to those measured at a site 15 km inland. Our findings are relevant to, for example, ground-based remote sensing of aerosol characteristics, since a common technique is based on sky radiance measurements along the solar almucantar.

Technology for detecting spectral radiance by a snapshot multi-imaging spectroradiometer

Technologies to determine spectral sky radiance distributions have evolved in recent years and have enabled new applications in remote sensing, for sky radiance measurements, in biological/diagnostic applications and luminance measurements. Most classical spectral imaging radiance technologies are based on mechanical and/or spectral scans. However, these methods require scanning time in which the spectral radiance distribution might change. To overcome this limitation, different so-called snapshot spectral imaging technologies have been developed that enable spectral and spatial non-scanning measurements. We present a new setup based on a facet mirror that is already used in imaging slicing spectrometers. By duplicating the input image instead of slicing it and using a specially designed entrance slit, we are able to select nearly 200 (14 × 14) channels within the field of view (FOV) for detecting spectral radiance in different directions. In addition, a megapixel image of the FOV is captured by an additional RGB camera. This image can be mapped onto the snapshot spectral image. In this paper, the mechanical setup, technical design considerations and first measurement results of a prototype are presented. For a proof of concept, the device is radiometrically calibrated and a 10 mm × 10 mm test pattern measured within a spectral range of 380 nm–800 nm with an optical bandwidth of 10 nm (full width at half maximum or FWHM). To show its potential in the UV spectral region, zenith sky radiance measurements in the UV of a clear sky were performed. Hence, the prototype was equipped with an entrance optic with a FOV of 0.5° and modified to obtain a radiometrically calibrated spectral range of 280 nm–470 nm with a FWHM of 3 nm. The measurement results have been compared to modeled data processed by UVSPEC, which showed deviations of less than 30%. This is far from being ideal, but an acceptable result with respect to available state-of-the-art intercomparisons.

Validation of a spectral correction procedure for sun and sky reflections in above-water reflectance measurements.

A three-component reflectance model (3C) is applied to above-water radiometric measurements to derive remote-sensing reflectance Rrs (λ). 3C provides a spectrally resolved offset Δ(λ) to correct for residual sun and sky radiance (Rayleigh- and aerosol-scattered) reflections on the water surface that were not represented by sky radiance measurements. 3C is validated with a data set of matching above- and below-water radiometric measurements collected in the Baltic Sea, and compared against a scalar offset correction Δ. Correction with Δ(λ) instead of Δ consistently reduced the (mean normalized root-mean-square) deviation between Rrs (λ) and reference reflectances to comparable levels for clear (Δ: 14.3 ± 2.5 %, Δ(λ): 8.2 ± 1.7 %), partly clouded (Δ: 15.4 ± 2.1 %, Δ(λ): 6.5 ± 1.4 %), and completely overcast (Δ: 10.8 ± 1.7 %, Δ(λ): 6.3 ± 1.8 %) sky conditions. The improvement was most pronounced under inhomogeneous sky conditions when measurements of sky radiance tend to be less representative of surface-reflected radiance. Accounting for both sun glint and sky reflections also relaxes constraints on measurement geometry, which was demonstrated based on a semi-continuous daytime data set recorded in a eutrophic freshwater lake in the Netherlands. Rrs (λ) that were derived throughout the day varied spectrally by less than 2 % relative standard deviation. Implications on measurement protocols are discussed. An open source software library for processing reflectance measurements was developed and is made publicly available.

Night sky quality monitoring in existing and planned dark sky parks by digital cameras

A crucial part of the qualification of international dark sky places (IDSPs) is the objective measurement of night time sky luminance or radiance. Modern digital cameras provide an alternative way to perform all sky imaging either by a fisheye lens or by a mosaic image taken by a wide angle lens. Here we present a method for processing raw camera images to obtain calibrated measurements of sky quality. The comparison of the night sky quality of different European locations is also presented to demonstrate the use of our technique.

Thin ice clouds in the Arctic: cloud optical depth and particle size retrieved from ground-based thermal infrared radiometry

Abstract. Multiband downwelling thermal measurements of zenith sky radiance, along with cloud boundary heights, were used in a retrieval algorithm to estimate cloud optical depth and effective particle diameter of thin ice clouds in the Canadian High Arctic. Ground-based thermal infrared (IR) radiances for 150 semitransparent ice clouds cases were acquired at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut, Canada (80° N, 86° W). We analyzed and quantified the sensitivity of downwelling thermal radiance to several cloud parameters including optical depth, effective particle diameter and shape, water vapor content, cloud geometric thickness and cloud base altitude. A lookup table retrieval method was used to successfully extract, through an optimal estimation method, cloud optical depth up to a maximum value of 2.6 and to separate thin ice clouds into two classes: (1) TIC1 clouds characterized by small crystals (effective particle diameter ≤ 30 µm), and (2) TIC2 clouds characterized by large ice crystals (effective particle diameter > 30 µm). The retrieval technique was validated using data from the Arctic High Spectral Resolution Lidar (AHSRL) and Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar (MMCR). Inversions were performed over three polar winters and results showed a significant correlation (R2 = 0.95) for cloud optical depth retrievals and an overall accuracy of 83 % for the classification of TIC1 and TIC2 clouds. A partial validation relative to an algorithm based on high spectral resolution downwelling IR radiance measurements between 8 and 21 µm was also performed. It confirms the robustness of the optical depth retrieval and the fact that the broadband thermal radiometer retrieval was sensitive to small particle (TIC1) sizes.

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

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.

Aerosol Optical and Microphysical Properties of Four Typical Sites of SONET in China Based on Remote Sensing Measurements

The current understanding of columnar aerosol optical and microphysical properties of different regions and seasons in China is insufficient due to the lack of measurements. Aiming to improve descriptions of aerosol models over China, this paper presents a systematic aerosol characterization of different sites based on a newly developed remote sensing network for aerosol observation, the Sun-sky radiometer Observation NETwork (SONET). One year of ground-based solar and sky radiation measurements of four typical sites of SONET (Beijing–urban-industrial site, Zhangye—rural site, Minqin—desert site, Zhoushan–oceanic site) are used to retrieve aerosol properties using similar inversion algorithms with AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), including aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, volume size distribution, complex refractive index, single scattering albedo, and percentage of spherical particles. The retrieved properties among sites and seasons are found to be different in terms of magnitude, spectral dependence, and partition of fine and coarse mode, which can be primarily explained by different aerosol composition and mixing states that closely relate to the local climate, the natural environment, and most importantly, the ubiquitous anthropogenic impacts. For example, large dust particles greatly contribute to the low fine mode fraction in both volume concentration and optical depth for the Minqin site through the entire year, while abundant small particles that mainly come from emission sources dominate the size distribution and light extinction of aerosol in the summer at the Beijing site. The results also show general agreements with other studies on the aerosol properties at each site, however, some unique features are still noticeable, especially at the desert site and oceanic site (e.g., the unusually strong aerosol absorptivity indicated by the large imaginary refractive index and low single scattering albedo at the Minqin and Zhoushan sites), which can be partly attributed to the existence of absorbing particles coming from anthropogenic sources.

Retrieval of dust aerosol optical and microphysical properties from ground-based Sun-sky radiometer measurements in approximation of randomly oriented spheroids

Deserts currently covering more than one tenth of the land surface gradually spread out over more and more areas due to desertification. Mineral dust as one of the most widespread aerosol types plays increasingly important role in atmospheric processes. An accurate accounting for physical and chemical characteristics of desert dust, particles shape in particular, in methods for aerosol retrievals from remote sensing data, is needed. The neglect of dust particle non-sphericity may lead to errors in quantifying the aerosol radiative and regional climatic effects.Earlier we developed a software package Sun-Sky Measurements for Aerosol ReTrieval (SSMART) to retrieve aerosol optical and microphysical characteristics from spectral ground-based Sun and sky radiance measurements. The single scattering albedo and scattering phase function were retrieved in two ways: (i) directly from the almucantar measurement data without any assumptions about the shape of aerosol particles and (ii) through the calculation on the basis of the Mie theory using the retrieved particle size distribution function and complex refractive index. However, there is experimental evidence that in modeling the optical properties of desert dust, the effects of particle non-sphericity should be taken into consideration.In this paper, we propose an improved version of the SSMART algorithm, in which the inverse light scattering problem is solved using the model of a mixture of randomly oriented polydisperse spheroids. On the basis of closed numerical experiments, the accuracy of aerosol retrievals is investigated in error-free conditions and in the presence of measurement errors. The results of the algorithm applying to almucantar scans obtained at Dakar AERONET site during desert dust events in 2012 are discussed. The retrieved aerosol optical and microphysical characteristics are compared with those obtained by the AERONET inversion algorithm.

Simultaneous measurement of spectral sky radiance by a non-scanning multidirectional spectroradiometer (MUDIS)

We present a novel non-scanning multidirectional spectroradiometer (MUDIS) measuring the spectral sky radiance as a function of zenith and azimuth angle with a high spectral and temporal resolution. The instrument is based on a hyperspectral imager and measures spectral sky radiance in the wavelength range of 250–600 nm at 113 different directions simultaneously. MUDIS has been intercalibrated with a sky scanning CCD spectroradiometer (SCCD). Sky radiance measurements have been performed with both instruments under cloudless and overcast sky. The spectral actinic irradiance derived from those measurements agrees within 8% for wavelengths higher than 320 nm. The bias between synchronous MUDIS and SCCD sky radiance measurements during cloudless and overcast sky is below 5% for 320 and 500 nm with a 1σ standard deviation of less than 10%. MUDIS enables us to perform more than 220 000 spectral sky radiance measurements instead of approximately 6000 SCCD spectral sky radiance measurements per day and to measure spatial variations of spectral sky radiance simultaneously.

Spectral and Spatial UV Sky Radiance Measurements at a Seaside Resort Under Clear Sky and Slightly Overcast Conditions

Spatial measurements of the diffusely scattered sky radiance at a seaside resort under clear sky and slightly overcast conditions have been used to calculate the sky radiance distribution across the upper hemisphere. The measurements were done in the summer season when solar UV radiation is highest. The selected wavelengths were 307, 350 and 550nm representing the UVB, UVA and VIS band. Absolute values of radiance differ considerably between the wavelengths. Normalizing the measured values by use of direct solar radiance made the spatial distributions of unequal sky radiance comparable. The results convey a spatial impression of the different distributions of the radiance at the three wavelengths. Relative scattered radiance intensity is one order of magnitude greater in UVB than in VIS, whereas in UVA lies roughly in between. Under slightly overcast conditions scattered radiance is increased at all three wavelengths by about one order of magnitude. These measurements taken at the seaside underline the importance of diffuse scattered radiance. The effect of shading parts of the sky can be estimated from the distribution of sky radiance. This knowledge might be useful for sun seekers and in the treatment of people staying at the seaside for therapeutic purposes.

Aerosol optical properties during firework, biomass burning and dust episodes in Beijing

In order to characterize the aerosol optical properties during different pollution episodes that occurred in Beijing, the aerosol loading, scattering, and size distributions are presented using solar and sky radiance measurements from 2001 to 2010 in this paper. A much higher aerosol loading than the background level was observed during the pollution episodes. The average aerosol optical depth (AOD) is largest during dust episodes coupled with the lowest Ångström exponent (α), while higher AOD and lower α were more correlated with firework and biomass burning days. The total mean AOD at 440, 675, 870 and 1020 nm were 0.24, 0.49, 0.64 and 1.38 in the clean, firework display, biomass burning and dust days, respectively. The mean α for dust days was 0.51 and exceeded 1.1 for the remaining episodes. The size distribution of the dusty periods was dominated by the coarse mode, but the coarse mode was similar magnitude to the fine mode during the firework and biomass burning days. The volume concentration of the coarse mode during the dust days increased by a magnitude of more than 2–8 times that derived in the other three aerosol conditions, suggesting that dust is the major contributor of coarse mode particles in Beijing. The single scattering albedo (SSA) values also increased during the pollution episodes. The overall mean SSA at the four wavelengths were 0.865, 0.911, 0.922 and 0.931 in clean, firework display, biomass burning, and dust days in Beijing, respectively. However, in the blue spectral range, the dust aerosols exhibited pronounced absorption.

Determination of time and sun position system

Accurate calculations and recording of time either in local clock time or true solar time in regular daytime measurements of sun and sky radiation and light, in computer programs evaluating solar irradiance or sunlight and skylight illuminance currently apply differently defined solar hour angles as well as angularly determined solar altitude and azimuth coordinates. The historical basis of solar geometry used to construct sundials for the measurements of true solar time were gradually replaced during Middle Ages by spherical trigonometry relations of solar altitude and azimuth angles including solar declination, local geographical latitude and time changes in better precision. However, in different scientific and practical applications like in solar energy or daylight calculations are currently used several systems and formulae defining sun position and time which need to be unified and standardised in computer programs or measurement evaluations. Potential confusion and inconsistent results should be avoided, possible mistakes have to be checked and corrected after the valid ISO international standard. This paper discusses various approaches considering time and sun coordinates in different systems.

Polarization impacts on the water-leaving radiance retrieval from above-water radiometric measurements

Above-water measurements of water-leaving radiance are widely used for water-quality monitoring and ocean-color satellite data validation. Reflected skylight in above-water radiometry needs to be accurately estimated prior to derivation of water-leaving radiance. Up-to-date methods to estimate reflection of diffuse skylight on rough sea surfaces are based on radiative transfer simulations and sky radiance measurements. But these methods neglect the polarization state of the incident skylight, which is generally highly polarized. In this paper, the effects of polarization on the sea surface reflectance and the subsequent water-leaving radiance estimation are investigated. We show that knowledge of the polarization field of the diffuse skylight significantly improves above-water radiometry estimates, in particular in the blue part of the spectrum where the reflected skylight is dominant. A newly developed algorithm based on radiative transfer simulations including polarization is described. Its application to the standard Aerosol Robotic Network-Ocean Color and hyperspectral radiometric measurements of the 1.5-year dataset acquired at the Long Island Sound site demonstrates the noticeable importance of considering polarization for water-leaving radiance estimation. In particular it is shown, based on time series of collocated data acquired in coastal waters, that the azimuth range of measurements leading to good-quality data is significantly increased, and that these estimates are improved by more than 12% at 413 nm. Full consideration of polarization effects is expected to significantly improve the quality of the field data utilized for satellite data validation or potential vicarious calibration purposes.

Aerosol radiative forcing during African desert dust events (2005–2010) over Southeastern Spain

Abstract. The daily (24 h) averages of the aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) at the surface and the top of the atmosphere (TOA) were calculated during desert dust events over Granada (southeastern Spain) from 2005 to 2010. A radiative transfer model (SBDART) was utilized to simulate the solar irradiance values (0.31–2.8 μm) at the surface and TOA, using as input aerosol properties retrieved from CIMEL sun photometer measurements via an inversion methodology that uses the sky radiance measurements in principal plane configuration and a spheroid particle shape approximation. This inversion methodology was checked by means of simulated data from aerosol models, and the derived aerosol properties were satisfactorily compared against well-known AERONET products. Good agreement was found over a common spectral interval (0.2–4.0 μm) between the simulated SBDART global irradiances at surface and those provided by AERONET. In addition, simulated SBDART solar global irradiances at the surface have been successfully validated against CM-11 pyranometer measurements. The comparison indicates that the radiative transfer model slightly overestimates (mean bias of 3%) the experimental solar global irradiance. These results show that the aerosol optical properties used to estimate ARF represent appropriately the aerosol properties observed during desert dust outbreak over the study area. The ARF mean monthly values computed during desert dust events ranged from −13 ± 8 W m−2 to −34 ± 15 W m−2 at surface, from −4 ± 3 W m−2 to −13 ± 7 W m−2 at TOA and from +6 ± 4 to +21 ± 12 W m−2 in the atmosphere. We have checked if the differences found in aerosol optical properties among desert dust sectors translate to differences in ARF. The mean ARF at surface (TOA) were −20 ± 12 (−5 ± 5) W m−2, −21 ± 9 (−7 ± 5) W m−2 and −18 ± 9 (−6 ± 5) W m−2 for sector A (northern Morocco; northwestern Algeria), sector B (western Sahara, northwestern Mauritania and southwestern Algeria), and sector C (eastern Algeria, Tunisia), respectively. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test revealed that daily {ARF} values at TOA for sector A were significantly different from the other two sectors, likely as a result of the lower values of single scattering albedo obtained for sector A. The mean values of aerosol radiative forcing efficiency at surface (TOA) were −74 ± 12 W m−2 (−17 ± 7 W m−2) for sector A, −70 ± 14 W m−2 (−20 ± 9 W m−2) for sector B, and −65 ± 16 W m−2 (−22 ± 10 W m−2) for sector C, and thus comparable between the three sectors in all seasons.

Initial Assessment of the Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR)-Based Aerosol Retrieval: Sensitivity Study

The Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) being developed for airborne measurements will offer retrievals of aerosol microphysical and optical properties from multi-angular and multi-spectral measurements of sky radiance and direct-beam sun transmittance. In this study, we assess the expected accuracy of the 4STAR-based aerosol retrieval and its sensitivity to major sources of anticipated perturbations in the 4STAR measurements. The major anticipated perturbations are (1) an apparent enhancement of sky radiance at small scattering angles associated with the necessarily compact design of the 4STAR and (2) an offset (i.e., uncertainty) of sky radiance calibration independent of scattering angle. The assessment is performed through application of the operational AERONET aerosol retrieval and constructed synthetic 4STAR-like data. Particular attention is given to the impact of these perturbations on the broadband fluxes and the direct aerosol radiative forcing. The results from this study suggest that limitations in the accuracy of 4STAR-retrieved particle size distributions and scattering phase functions have diminished impact on the accuracy of retrieved bulk microphysical parameters, permitting quite accurate retrievals of properties including the effective radius (up to 10%, or 0.03), and the radiatively important optical properties, such as the asymmetry factor (up to 4%, or ±0.02) and single-scattering albedo (up to 6%, or ±0.04). Also, the obtained results indicate that the uncertainties in the retrieved aerosol optical properties are quite small in the context of the calculated fluxes and direct aerosol radiative forcing (up to 15%, or 3 W∙m−2).

Retrieval of aerosol optical and physical properties from ground-based measurements for Zanjan, a city in Northwest Iran

A ground-based sun and sky scanning radiometer, CIMEL CE 318-2 sunphotometer, has been used to study the atmosphere of Zanjan, a city in Northwest Iran (36.70°N, 48.51°E, and 1800m above the mean sea level) in the periods of October 2006–October 2008, and January–September 2010. Direct sun and solar principal plane sky radiance measurements by the sunphotometer have been used to retrieve the optical and physical properties of atmospheric aerosols, such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (α), single scattering albedo (SSA), refractive index, and volume size distributions. About 50 dusty days (daily averaged AOD (870)>0.35, α<0.5) have been recorded during the mentioned periods. Considering the different values obtained for SSA, real part of refractive index, and volume size distributions, it has been found that just dust and anthropogenic aerosols are making the atmospheric aerosols in this region. In these recordings it has been observed that AODs (Ångström exponents) were increasing (decreasing) during spring and early summer. This was accompanied by increase of SSA, real part of refractive index, and coarse mode part of volume size distributions of aerosols. This behavior could be due to transport of dust, mostly from Tigris–Euphrates basin or sometimes with lower probability from the region between Caspian and Aral seas and rarely from sources inside the Iran plateau like the Qom dry lake, especially in dry seasons. In this work NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, HYSPLIT model back trajectories, and MODIS Deep Blue AODs have been used to track the air masses and dust plumes during the recorded dust events.

Classification of the Sky in Shah Alam, Malaysia Using Measured Sky Radiance and Luminance

This study aims at classifying the sky at Shah Alam, Malaysia (3° 3.82´N, 101° 29.50´ E). Measurements of sky luminance and sky radiance were made at a chosen location in Shah Alam. The measurements were done by using a sky scanner. This equipment tracked 145 points of sky hemisphere. Field measurements were made during the periods of October to December 2010 and between January, July and August 2011. The luminance and radiance data were converted to illuminance and irradiance. The sky ratio and Perez clearness index were then calculated. It was confirmed that the sky at Shah Alam is mostly of the partly cloudy or intermediate type. During the measurement period, the maximum mean monthly hourly irradiation was more than 200 W/m2 and the maximum mean monthly hourly illuminance exceeded 20klux.

Assessing the contribution from different parts of Canary islands to the hemispheric spectral sky radiance levels over European Northern Observatories

AbstractIn this paper, we suggest to use a sky radiance model which accounts for heterogeneous distribution of light fixtures, their photometry, the ground reflectance and topography, to infer the point to point contribution of Canary Islands to the artificial sky radiance at Observatorio del Teide (Tenerife) and Observatorio Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma). In-situ hyperspectral sky radiance measurements, acquired on site in 2010, have been used to calibrate the model and to evaluate its inherent error. We aim to identify and characterize zones at which any lighting level increase or decrease may have a larger impact on light pollution at both European Northern Observatory sites, and then help to control and/or reduce their light pollution levels. This innovative methodology, can then be seen as a high level decision tool to help local authorities to restrict or reduce light pollution with the objective of protecting research class astronomical sites.

Analysis of the columnar radiative properties retrieved during African desert dust events over Granada (2005–2010) using principal plane sky radiances and spheroids retrieval procedure

The southern Iberian Peninsula is an important area for studying the columnar radiative properties of African desert dust air masses reaching Europe. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Angström coefficient, α (440–1020nm), have been retrieved during the dust events reached at surface from 2005 to 2010 at Granada (37.18°N, 3.58°W, 680m a.m.s.l), using extinction measurements by means of a CIMEL CE 318-1 sun-photometer. In addition, sky radiance measurements performed in principal plane in conjunction with solar irradiance measurements were used to retrieve columnar aerosol size distributions, single scattering albedo and asymmetry parameter. During these desert dust intrusions, high values of AOD at 440nm (0.27±0.17) and low values of α (0.4±0.2) were found. These values indicate both high aerosol load and predominance of coarse particles during these events. The aerosol volume size distributions were bimodal, with the fine and coarse radius mode centered at 0.20μm and 2.41μm, respectively. The mean coarse to fine volume concentration ratio value was 11±6, showing a predominance of coarse particles in good agreement with α analysis. During these events, columnar aerosol single scattering albedo (ω0) increased with wavelength in accordance with previous works. However, the obtained values of ω0 in all wavelengths were lower than those reported by other authors during desert dust intrusions. The mixing of desert dust with absorbing particles from anthropogenic origin could explain the low ω0 values measured in the study area.