Atmospheric effect on the ground-based measurements of broadband surface albedo

Ground-based pyranometer measurements of the (clear-sky) broadband surface albedo are affected by the atmospheric conditions (mainly by aerosol particles, water vapour and ozone). A new semi-empirical method for estimating the magnitude of the effect of atmospheric conditions on surface albedo measu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: T. Manninen, A. Riihelä, G. de Leeuw
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2012-11-01
Series:Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/5/2675/2012/amt-5-2675-2012.pdf
Description
Summary:Ground-based pyranometer measurements of the (clear-sky) broadband surface albedo are affected by the atmospheric conditions (mainly by aerosol particles, water vapour and ozone). A new semi-empirical method for estimating the magnitude of the effect of atmospheric conditions on surface albedo measurements in clear-sky conditions is presented. Global and reflected radiation and/or aerosol optical depth (AOD) at two wavelengths are needed to apply the method. Depending on the aerosol optical depth and the solar zenith angle values, the effect can be as large as 20%. For the cases we tested using data from the Cabauw atmospheric test site in the Netherlands, the atmosphere caused typically up to 5% overestimation of surface albedo with respect to corresponding black-sky surface albedo values.
ISSN:1867-1381
1867-8548