PNNL

Abstract

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 U.S. include DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, NOAA Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Network, and NASA Solar Irradiance Research Network (SIRN). In this paper we discuss a number of technical issues specific for shadow-band radiometers and their impact on the optical depth measurements. These problems include instrument tilt and misalignment, as well as somedata processing artifacts. Techniques for data evaluation and automatic detection of some of these problems are described.