NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
How Can AERONET Help with Monitoring Clouds?When conditions are inappropriate to make AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) measurements for aerosol studies, new measurements related to cloud physics can be made instead. As such, several AERONET CIMEL sunphotometers have been equipped with a new "cloud mode." This mode allows the CIMELs to make measurements of zenith radiance when the Sun in blocked by clouds. When in cloud mode, a CIMEL points straight up every 10-15 minutes and takes 10 measurements over a 9 second time interval at four wavelengths: 440,670,870, and 1020 nm. For cloudy conditions above green vegetation, the spectral contrast in surface albedo dominates over Rayleigh and aerosol effects. We have developed a new method for retrieving cloud optical depth, even for broken clouds, that uses data from the 670 (and/or 440) and 870 nm channels. In addition to cloud optical depth, the method also infers a "radiatively effective" cloud fraction. The results of the retrievals at the ARM Central Facility in Oklahoma are compared with the ones from Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSR).
Document ID
20040081244
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Marshak, A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: AERONET/Photon Workshop
Location: Huelva
Country: Spain
Start Date: May 10, 2004
End Date: May 14, 2004
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available