Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer Research Articles

Multiresolution analysis of the temporal variance and correlation of transmittance and reflectance of an atmospheric column

Collocated time series of narrowband 0.6 μm atmospheric flux transmittance at the surface and bidirectional reflectance at the top of atmosphere are decomposed into distinct frequency bands, so as to investigate the timescale dependences of their variance and correlation. Toward this goal, a multiresolution analysis based on the maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform and the Haar wavelet is applied to 5‐minute resolution measurements from two multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers operated at Cabauw, NL, and Heselbach, DE, and to observations of the geostationary METEOSAT8 SEVIRI satellite imager. Both time series are best correlated when the satellite data are shifted by about 1 pixel (6 km) to the North, which is likely attributable to the parallax effect caused by the height of cloud tops and the oblique satellite viewing angle. While variations in transmittance and reflectance with periods longer than an hour are found to be highly anticorrelated, the correlation breaks down for shorter periods. Below 1 hour, the transmittance time series also exhibits significantly higher variance than the reflectance. The larger extent of the satellite pixel (6 × 3 km2) versus the point nature of the ground measurements is proposed as an explanation. Due to the small contributions of high‐frequency variability to the total variance of the reflectance, aliasing effects caused by the 5‐minute repeat cycle of SEVIRI are expected to be small. Implications of our findings are discussed for the validation of satellite estimates of solar surface irradiance. Averaging of surface measurements over at least 40 minutes is recommended for a comparison.

Aerosols and their influence on radiation partitioning and savanna productivity in northern Australia

Aerosols have been shown to affect the quantity and quality of solar radiation on the Earth’s surface. Savanna regions are subject to frequent burning and release of aerosols that may impact on radiation components and possibly vegetation productivity in this region. Therefore, in this study, we have analyzed the optical properties of aerosols (aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom coefficient) from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site in Darwin for the periods from April 2002 to June 2005 as measured by a multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer. The influence of aerosols and their effect on surface shortwave incoming solar radiation and savanna productivity were examined for the dry season using sky radiation collection of radiometers and eddy covariance measurements from the Howard Springs flux site. Results indicated that aerosol concentrations in the region were relatively low compared to other savanna regions with the maximum monthly average AOD over the period being the greatest in October (0.29 ± 0.003 standard error at 500 nm). The highest monthly average Angstrom exponent was also found in October (1.38 ± 0.008). The relatively low aerosol concentration in this region can be attributed to the mixture of smoke aerosols with humidity haze and local circulations. Over a range of AODs from 0.1 to 0.4, we found a modest increase in the fraction of diffuse radiation to total radiation from 11% to 21%. This small increase in diffuse fraction did not affect the carbon flux significantly. However, because the current range of AOD in the region is relatively low, the region could be sensitive to increases in aerosols and diffuse fraction in the future.

Retrieval of aerosol single scattering albedo at ultraviolet wavelengths at the T1 site during MILAGRO

Abstract. Surface measurements of direct and diffuse voltages at UV wavelengths were made at the T1 site during the MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations) field campaign in March 2006, using a multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (UV-MFRSR). We used the MFRSR data, together with measurements from a co-located CIMEL Sun photometer at the site operating as part of the AERONET network, to deduce aerosol single scattering albedo (ω) at 368 and 332 nm for four cloud-free days during the study. Our retrievals suggest that T1 aerosols with aerosol extinction optical depth τ368>0.1 that are influenced by Mexico City emissions, blowing dust, and biomass burning, are characterized by low ω368=0.73–0.85 and ω332=0.70–0.86, with small or no spectral variation of ω between 368 and 332 nm. Our findings are consistent with other published estimates of ω for Mexico City aerosols, including those that suggest that the absorption attributable to these aerosols is enhanced at UV wavelengths relative to visible wavelengths. We also demonstrate, via sensitivity tests, the importance of accurate τ and surface albedo measurements in ω retrievals at UV wavelengths.

Surface shortwave aerosol radiative forcing during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility deployment in Niamey, Niger

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program's Mobile Facility (AMF) was deployed to Niamey, Niger, during 2006. Niamey, which is located in sub‐Saharan Africa, is affected by both dust and biomass burning emissions. Column aerosol optical properties were derived from multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer, measurements and the vertical distribution of aerosol extinction was derived from a micropulse lidar during the two observed dry seasons (January–April and October–December). Mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA) at 500 nm during January–April were 0.53 ± 0.4 and 0.94 ± 0.05, while during October–December mean AOD and SSA were 0.33 ± 0.25 and 0.99 ± 0.01. Aerosol extinction profiles peaked near 500 m during the January–April period and near 100 m during the October–December period. Broadband shortwave surface fluxes and heating rate profiles were calculated using retrieved aerosol properties. Comparisons for noncloudy periods indicated that the remote sensing retrievals provided a reasonable estimation of the aerosol optical properties, with mean differences between calculated and observed fluxes of less than 5 W m−2 and RMS differences less than 25 W m−2. Sensitivity tests showed that the observed fluxes could be matched with variations of <10% in the inputs to the radiative transfer model. The calculated 24‐h averaged SW instantaneous surface aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) was −21.1 ± 14.3 W m−2 and was estimated to account for 80% of the total radiative forcing at the surface. The ARF was larger during January–April (−28.5 ± 13.5 W m−2) than October–December (−11.9 ± 8.9 W m−2).

Columnar water vapor retrievals from multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer data

The multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) measures direct and diffuse irradiances in the visible and near‐infrared spectral range. In addition to characteristics of atmospheric aerosols, MFRSR data also allow retrieval of precipitable water vapor (PWV) column amounts, which are determined from the direct normal irradiances in the 940‐nm spectral channel. The HITRAN 2004 spectral database was used in our retrievals to model the water vapor absorption. We present a detailed error analysis describing the influence of uncertainties in instrument calibration and spectral response, as well as those in available spectral databases, on the retrieval results. The results of our PWV retrievals from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site operated by the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program were compared with correlative standard measurements by microwave radiometers (MWRs) and a global positioning system (GPS) water vapor sensor, as well as with retrievals from other solar radiometers (AERONET's CIMEL, AATS‐6). Some of these data are routinely available at the SGP's Central Facility; however, we also used measurements from a wider array of instrumentations deployed at this site during the water vapor intensive observation period (WVIOP2000) in September–October 2000. The WVIOP data show better agreement between different solar radiometers or between different microwave radiometers (both groups showing relative biases within 4%) than between these two groups of instruments, with MWR values being consistently higher (up to 14%) than those from solar instruments (especially in the large PWV column amount range). We also demonstrate the feasibility of using MFRSR network data for creation of 2D data sets comparable with that of the MODIS satellite water vapor product.

Seasonal evolution of the tropospheric aerosol vertical profile in the central Mediterranean and role of desert dust

The seasonal evolution of the aerosol vertical distribution in the Central Mediterranean is studied using measurements made in the period 1999–2008 at Lampedusa with an aerosol Lidar and a multi filter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR). Measurements show that the aerosol vertical distribution is largely influenced by Saharan dust, which produces a strong annual cycle both in aerosol vertical extension and optical depth. Dust layers are present in the profile in 38% of the cases throughout the year, and in 57% in summer. The dust top altitude peaks in late spring, up to 9 km. The monthly average optical depth at 500 nm for dust cases shows a main peak in July (0.38), and values exceeding 0.2 throughout March–September. Conversely, non‐dust cases show a very limited seasonality, both in vertical distribution and aerosol optical depth. The monthly average optical depth for non‐dust cases is smaller than 0.17 throughout the year. During winter, the vertical distribution and optical depth are very similar for both dust and non‐dust cases. The seasonal average extinction coefficient profiles for dust and non‐dust cases show remarkable differences in spring and summer, when values of the extinction coefficient exceed 0.5 × 10−4 m−1 throughout the altitude range 0–4.5 km for dust cases, and 0–1 km altitude for non‐dust cases, respectively. Estimates of the Lidar Ratio are derived by combining Lidar and MFRSR measurements. The average Lidar Ratio at 532 nm is about 30 sr.

一种估算沙尘云光学特性的方法

Based on the scattering properties of nonspherical dust aerosol, a new method is developed for retrieving dust aerosol optical depths of dusty clouds. The dusty clouds are defined as the hybrid system of dust plume and cloud. The new method is based on transmittance measurements from surface-based instruments multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) and cloud parameters from lidar measurements. It uses the difference of absorption between dust aerosols and water droplets for distinguishing and estimating the optical properties of dusts and clouds, respectively. This new retrieval method is not sensitive to the retrieval error of cloud properties and the maximum absolute deviations of dust aerosol and total optical depths for thin dusty cloud retrieval algorithm are only 0.056 and 0.1, respectively, for given possible uncertainties. The retrieval error for thick dusty cloud mainly depends on lidar-based total dusty cloud properties.

The diffuse-to-global and diffuse-to-direct-beam spectral irradiance ratios as turbidity indexes in an urban environment

Continuous measurements of solar spectral radiation using the Multi-filter Rotating Shadow Band Radiometer (MFRSR) are performed at the Actinometric Station of the National Observatory of Athens (ASNOA). The present study utilizes three clear-sky days of continuous observations, from local sunrise to local sunset, in order to investigate the daily variation of the radiation components (diffuse, global and direct-beam) as well as their ratios (diffuse-to-global, DGR, and diffuse-to-direct-beam, DDR) under different atmospheric conditions. Both ratios have received great scientific interest, especially for investigating solar irradiance modifications under various atmospheric conditions, aerosol load and optical properties. Apart from this, the present study shows that the DDR can constitute a measure of atmospheric turbidity when it is determined at longer wavelengths, while the DGR cannot. The effect of the solar zenith angle (SZA) on both ratios is significant at the shorter wavelengths with varying sensitivities depending on the aerosol field and sun elevation. The present study confirms the results obtained by previous solar irradiance measurements in Athens and also those computed via radiative transfer codes and sheds light on the scientific knowledge of the use of spectral DDR as an atmospheric turbidity index.

Estimation of the mass absorption cross section of the organic carbon component of aerosols in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

Abstract. Data taken from the MCMA-2003 and the 2006 MILAGRO field campaigns are used to examine the absorption of solar radiation by the organic component of aerosols. Using irradiance data from a Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) and an actinic flux spectroradiometer (SR), we derive aerosol single scattering albedo, ϖ0, λ, as a function of wavelength, λ. We find that in the near-UV spectral range (250 to 400 nm) ϖ0, λ is much lower compared to ϖ0, λ at 500 nm indicating enhanced absorption in the near-UV range. Absorption by elemental carbon, dust, or gas cannot account for this enhanced absorption leaving the organic carbon component of the aerosol (OA) as the most likely absorber. We use data from a surface deployed Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) along with the inferred ϖ0, λ to estimate the Mass Absorption Cross section (MAC) for the organic aerosol. We find that the MAC is about 10.5 m2/g at 300 nm and falls close to zero at about 500 nm; values that are roughly consistent with other estimates of organic aerosol MAC. These MAC values can be considered as "radiatively correct", because when used in radiative transfer calculations, the calculated irradiances/actinic fluxes match those measured at the wavelengths considered here. For an illustrative case study described here, we estimate that the light absorption by the "brown" (organic) carbonaceous aerosol can add about 40% to the light absorption of black carbon in Mexico City. This contribution will vary depending on the relative abundance of organic aerosol relative to black carbon. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that organic aerosol would slow down photochemistry by selectively scavenging the light reaching the ground at those wavelengths that drive photochemical reactions. Finally, satellite retrievals of trace gases that are used to infer emissions currently assume that the MAC of organic carbon is zero. For trace gases that are retrieved using wavelengths shorter then 420 nm (i.e. SO2, HCHO, halogenoxides, NO2), the assumption of non-zero MAC values will induce an upward correction to the inferred emissions. This assumption will be particularly relevant in polluted urban atmospheres and areas of biomass burning where organic aerosols are particularly abundant.

Determination of ultraviolet cosine-corrected irradiances and aerosol optical thickness by combined measurements with a Brewer spectrophotometer and a multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer

Combined measurements of diffuse-to-global radiation ratio and global spectral irradiances in the UV are used to derive cosine-corrected UV irradiances and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The diffuse-to-global radiation ratio is used first in the cosine correction of the global irradiance, then to calculate absolutely calibrated direct irradiances. The Beer-Lambert law is applied to derive the UV AOD using independent measurements of the extraterrestrial solar flux. The AOD can be derived with an uncertainty of about 0.03 at 60 degrees solar zenith angle. The method was applied to measurements obtained with two UV multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (UV-MFRSRs) and a MK III Brewer spectrophotometer on the Island of Lampedusa in the Central Mediterranean during two periods of 2002 and 2004. The derived AOD at 318 and 332 nm was compared with UV AOD measured at 318, 320, and 368 nm with different techniques. The retrieved AOD, combining MFRSR and Brewer measurements, is in good agreement with the optical depth derived with the other methods.

Surface‐based observation of aerosol indirect effect in the Mid‐Atlantic region

A method for assessing the aerosol indirect effect based on back trajectory analysis and cloud and aerosol properties derived from a combination of observations from the Multifilter Rotating Shadow Band Radiometer and microwave radiometer at a newly established atmospheric measurement field station in the Baltimore‐Washington corridor is reported in this article. Six months of aerosol and cloud optical depth data are segregated according to air mass history based on back trajectory analysis. Under stagnant and polluted conditions where air flow across the region is predominantly from west–southwest, aerosol optical depth is on average three to four times greater than in air masses that advect rapidly from north and east. When sorted by mean cloud liquid water path, cloud‐droplet effective radius in polluted air masses is on average 0.9 μm smaller than that observed under more pristine conditions. Analysis is presented to confirm the statistical significance of this result.

Comparison of total column ozone data from ground-based MFRSR measurements taken in the southern U.S. region with OMI satellite retrievals

[1] A study of total column ozone (TCO) measurement data taken with a network of ground-based MultiFilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSR) compared with data retrieved from the satellite-based Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) shows an average positive bias of 3.04% ± 1.7% under all sky days. The MFRSR station-to-station standard deviation was ±2.1%. In contrast, a recent 2-year comparison of ground-based Dobson and Brewer stations shows that OMI-TOMS TCO averages only 0.4% higher than the station average, with station-to-station standard deviation of ±0.6%. Annual seasonal variability in the TCO is manifested through an increase beginning in December and going through May before the levels decrease over the northern summer until reaching the lowest levels around October. In this study, positive biases were found for the 11 southern U.S. MFRSR monitoring sites after an analysis of 2 years of data from January 2006–December 2007. Overall, our comparisons show that there is good agreement between OMI-TOMS and MFRSR readings over the southern U.S.

Long-range transport of aerosols from agriculture crop residue burning in Indo-Gangetic Plains—A study using LIDAR, ground measurements and satellite data

Agriculture crop residue burning in tropics is an important source of atmospheric aerosols and monitoring their long-range transport is an important element in climate change studies. Synchronous measurements using micro-pulsed lidar, MICROTOPS-II sun photometer, multi-filter rotating shadow band radiometer (MFRSR) on aerosol optical depth and ground reaching solar irradiance were carried at an urban location in central region of India. Aerosol backscatter profiles obtained from micro-pulse lidar showed elevated aerosol layers up to ∼3 km on certain days during October 2007. Satellite data observations on aerosol properties suggested transport of particles from agriculture crop residue burning in Indo-Gangetic Plains over large regions. Radiative forcing of aerosols estimated from SBDART model with input information on aerosol chemical properties, aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo and broadband solar irradiance measurements using MFRSR showed good correlation ( R=0.98).

Retrieving optical depths of optically thin and mixed‐phase clouds from MFRSR measurements

A new method has been developed to retrieve cloud optical depths for optically thin clouds (τ < 10) from the Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR). On the basis of simultaneous measurements of direct and diffuse radiation from MFRSR, this method allows partition of water and ice clouds and thus improves cloud optical depth retrievals. The new retrieval algorithm achieves the high consistency of retrieved cloud optical depth from both direct‐beam and total radiation: the slope of 0.95 between the two with correlation coefficient of 0.90 and RMS of 1.00. A sensitivity study illustrates that the maximum biases (relative errors) of cloud optical depth within the range of effective radius of clouds are 0.16 (4.7%) and 0.36 (8.3%) for retrievals from direct‐beam radiation and from total radiation, respectively. Validation and evaluation from measurements at the Point Reyes site have been conducted, illustrating that the new retrieval algorithm provides not only accurate retrievals of cloud optical depth in terms of radiation closure but also unique mix ratio of cloud water and ice for optically thin clouds under overcast conditions. Because of the climatologic importance of thin clouds, this algorithm with unique mix ratio retrievals is important for the climate study.

The diffuse-to-global spectral irradiance ratio as a cloud-screening technique for radiometric data

Continuous measurements of solar spectral radiation using the multifilter rotating shadow band radiometer (MFRSR-7) are performed at the Actinometric Station of the National Observatory of Athens (ASNOA). The present study utilizes 4 days of continuous observations, from local sunrise to sunset, in order to investigate the daily variation of the radiation components (diffuse and global) as well as their ratio (diffuse-to-global irradiance ratio, DGR) under different atmospheric conditions. DGR has received a great scientific interest, as well as the respective diffuse-to-direct-beam ratio especially for investigating solar irradiance modifications under different atmospheric conditions, aerosol load and optical properties. Apart from this, the present study shows that the DGR can also constitute a powerful tool for cloud screening, i.e. for removing perturbed data due to cloud contamination from automated sun scanning radiometers. The relationship between DGR at a specific wavelength with the respective ratio for the whole MFRSR band (300–1100 nm) is found to exhibit a curvature; this curvature is strongly modified when perturbed irradiance data (possibly caused by clouds) occur. Even though the perturbed data can also be easily identified from the diurnal irradiance variation, the present study is the first to show the effect of perturbed solar spectral data on the DGR.

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols using MFRSR measurements

Measurements by multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs) constitute a valuable global data set with contributions from hundreds of instruments deployed worldwide. The geographical coverage of MFRSR networks is complementary to that of AERONET and often provides better spatial density of measurement sites, especially in the United States. We describe our recently updated analysis algorithm for MFRSR data that allows partitioning of the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) into fine and coarse mode AOD and retrieval of the fine mode effective radius. Our recent sensitivity study demonstrated that for a typical measurement accuracy 0.01 of AOD, the trade‐offs between the spectral aerosol extinction and NO2 absorption in the visible range effectively prevent unambiguous retrieval of NO2 column from MFRSR data and may also bias aerosol size distribution retrievals. This has prompted us to adopt a new retrieval approach, which utilizes climatological NO2 (based on SCIAMACHY satellite retrievals) and uses column ozone from TOMS measurements. The performance of this new approach was evaluated using the long‐term data set from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site operated by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. We present a detailed intercomparison of total, fine, and coarse mode AOD and fine mode effective radius between two MFRSRs located at the SGP's Central Facility and with the correlative AERONET Sun‐sky inversion results (Version 2) derived from a collocated CIMEL Sun photometer. The comparison between two MFRSRs demonstrated good consistency of both the measurements and the analysis. Agreement with AERONET inversions is remarkably good, in that differences in AOD components do not exceed the expected measurement accuracy of 0.01, while the retrieved values of fine mode effective radius show no relative bias and only 0.03 μm random error (standard deviation of the differences). We show that if only data with large enough AOD (more than 0.06 at 870 nm) are selected, this error is reduced by a factor of two, becoming about 10% of a typical fine mode effective radius value.

Multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer calibration for spectral aerosol optical depth retrievals over São Paulo City, Brazil

Multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) calibration values for aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals were determined by means of the general method formulated by Forgan [Appl. Opt.33, 4841 (1994)] at a polluted urban site. The obtained precision is comparable with the classical method, the Langley plot, applied on clean mountaintops distant of pollution sources. The AOD retrieved over São Paulo City with both calibration procedures is compared with the Aerosol Robotic Network data. The observed results are similar, and, except for the shortest wavelength (415 nm), the MFRSR's AOD is systematically overestimated by approximately 0.03.

Influence of natural and anthropogenic activities on UV Index variations – a study over tropical urban region using ground based observations and satellite data

Measurements of total ozone column and solar UV radiation under different atmospheric conditions are needed to define variations of both UV and ozone and to study the impact of ozone depletion at the Earth’s surface. In this study, spectral and broadband measurements of UV-B irradiance were obtained along with total ozone observations and aerosol optical depth measurements in the tropical urban region of Hyderabad, south India. We specifically used an Ultra-Violet Multifilter Rotating Shadow band Radiometer (UVMFR-SR), to measure UV irradiance in time and space. To assess the aerosol and O3 effects on ground-reaching UV irradiance, we used measurements from a Microtops II sun photometer in addition to the Tropospheric Ultraviolet Visible radiation (TUV) model. We also assessed the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program – Operational Line Scanner (DMSP-OLS) night time satellite data for inferring biomass burning fires during the study period. Results clearly suggested a negative correlation between the DMSP-OLS satellite derived fire count data and UVMFR-SR data suggesting that aerosols from biomass burning are directly attenuating UV irradiance in the study region. Also, correlation analysis between UV index and ozone measurements from sun photometer and TOMS-Ozone Mapping Instrument (OMI) indicated a clear decrease in ground reaching UV-B irradiance during higher ozone conditions. The higher levels are attributed to photochemical production of O3 during the oxidation of trace gases emitted from biomass burning. Results also suggested a relatively high attenuation in UV irradiance (~6% higher) from smoke particles than dust. We also found a relatively good agreement between the modeled (TUV) and measured UV irradiance spectra for different atmospheric conditions. Our results highlight the factors affecting UV irradiance in a tropical urban environment, south India.

An operational retrieval algorithm for determining aerosol optical properties in the ultraviolet

This paper describes a number of practical considerations concerning the optimization and operational implementation of an algorithm used to characterize the optical properties of aerosols across part of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. The algorithm estimates values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) at seven wavelengths in the UV, as well as total column ozone (TOC) and wavelength‐independent asymmetry factor (g) using direct and diffuse irradiances measured with a UV multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (UV‐MFRSR). A novel method for cloud screening the irradiance data set is introduced, as well as several improvements and optimizations to the retrieval scheme which yield a more realistic physical model for the inversion and increase the efficiency of the algorithm. Introduction of a wavelength‐dependent retrieval error budget generated from rigorous forward model analysis as well as broadened covariances on the a priori values of AOD, SSA and g and tightened covariances of TOC allows sufficient retrieval sensitivity and resolution to obtain unique solutions of aerosol optical properties as demonstrated by synthetic retrievals. Analysis of a cloud screened data set (May 2003) from Panther Junction, Texas, demonstrates that the algorithm produces realistic values of the optical properties that compare favorably with pseudo‐independent methods for AOD, TOC and calculated Ångstrom exponents. Retrieval errors of all parameters (except TOC) are shown to be negatively correlated to AOD, while the Shannon information content is positively correlated, indicating that retrieval skill improves with increasing atmospheric turbidity. When implemented operationally on more than thirty instruments in the Ultraviolet Monitoring and Research Program's (UVMRP) network, this retrieval algorithm will provide a comprehensive and internally consistent climatology of ground‐based aerosol properties in the UV spectral range that can be used for both validation of satellite measurements as well as regional aerosol and ultraviolet transmission studies.

Optical depth measurements by shadow-band radiometers and their uncertainties

Shadow-band radiometers in general, and especially the Multi-Filter Rotating Shadow-band Radiometer (MFRSR), are widely used for atmospheric optical depth measurements. The major programs running MFRSR networks in the United States include the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Network, and NASA Solar Irradiance Research Network (SIRN). We discuss a number of technical issues specific to shadow-band radiometers and their impact on the optical depth measurements. These problems include instrument tilt and misalignment, as well as some data processing artifacts. Techniques for data evaluation and automatic detection of some of these problems are described.