scholarly journals A Simple Semi-Empirical Model for the Estimation of Photosynthetically Active Radiation from Satellite Data in the Tropics

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Janjai ◽  
A. Sripradit ◽  
R. Wattan ◽  
S. Buntoung ◽  
S. Pattarapanitchai ◽  
...  

This paper presents a simple semi-empirical model for estimating global photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) under all sky conditions. The model expresses PAR as a function of cloud index, aerosol optical depth, total ozone column, solar zenith angle, and air mass. The formulation of the model was based on a four-year period (2008–2011) of PAR data obtained from the measurements at four solar monitoring stations in a tropical environment of Thailand. These are Chiang Mai (18.78°N, 98.98°E), Ubon Ratchathani (15.25°N, 104.87°E), Nakhon Pathom (13.82°N, 100.04°E), and Songkhla (7.20°N, 100.60°E). The cloud index was derived from MTSAT-1R satellite, whereas the aerosol optical depth was obtained from MODIS/Terra satellite. For the total ozone column, it was retrieved from OMI/Aura satellite. The model was validated against independent data set from the four stations. It was found that hourly PAR estimated from the proposed model and that obtained from the measurements were in reasonable agreement, with the root mean square difference (RMSD) and mean bias difference (MBD) of 14.3% and −5.8%, respectively. In addition, for the case of monthly average hourly PAR, RMSD and MBD were reduced to 11.1% and −5.1%, respectively.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kévin Lamy ◽  
Thierry Portafaix ◽  
Béatrice Josse ◽  
Colette Brogniez ◽  
Sophie Godin-Beekmann ◽  
...  

Abstract. We have derived values of the Ultraviolet Index (UVI) at solar noon from the Tropospheric Ultraviolet Model (TUV) driven by ozone, temperature and aerosol fields from the first phase of the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1). Since clouds remain one of the largest uncertainties in climate projections, we simulated only clear-sky UVI. We compared the UVI climatologies obtained from CCMI and TUV against present-day climatological values of UVI derived from satellite data (the OMI-Aura OMUVBd product) and ground-based measurements (from the NDACC network). Depending on the region, relative differences between the UVI obtained from CCMI and TUV and ground-based measurements ranged between −4 % and 11 %. We calculated the UVI evolution throughout the 21st century for the four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5). Compared to 1960s values, we found an average increase in UVI in 2100 (of 2–4 %) in the tropical belt (30° N–30° S). For the mid-latitudes, we observed a 1.8 to 3.4 % increase in the Southern Hemisphere for RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 6.0, and found a 2.3 % decrease in RCP 8.5. Higher UV indices are projected in the Northern Hemisphere except for RCP 8.5. At high latitudes, ozone recovery is well identified and induces a complete return of mean UVI levels to 1960 values for RCP 8.5 in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, UVI levels in 2100 are higher by 0.5 to 5.5 % for RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 6.0 and they are lower by 7.9 % for RCP 8.5. We analysed the impacts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) on UVI from 1960 by comparing CCMI sensitivity simulations (1960–2100) with fixed GHGs or ODSs at their respective 1960 levels. As expected with ODS fixed at their 1960 levels, there is no large decrease in ozone levels and consequently no sudden increase in UVI levels. With fixed GHG, we observed a delayed return of ozone to 1960 values, the same signal is observed on UVI, and looking at the UVI difference between 2090s values and 1960s values, we found an 8 % increase in the tropical belt during the summer of each hemisphere. Finally, we show that, while in the Southern Hemisphere UVI is mainly driven by total ozone column, in the Northern Hemisphere both total ozone column and aerosol optical depth drive UVI levels, with aerosol optical depth having twice as much influence on UVI as total column does.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (15) ◽  
pp. 10087-10110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kévin Lamy ◽  
Thierry Portafaix ◽  
Béatrice Josse ◽  
Colette Brogniez ◽  
Sophie Godin-Beekmann ◽  
...  

Abstract. We have derived values of the ultraviolet index (UVI) at solar noon using the Tropospheric Ultraviolet Model (TUV) driven by ozone, temperature and aerosol fields from climate simulations of the first phase of the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1). Since clouds remain one of the largest uncertainties in climate projections, we simulated only the clear-sky UVI. We compared the modelled UVI climatologies against present-day climatological values of UVI derived from both satellite data (the OMI-Aura OMUVBd product) and ground-based measurements (from the NDACC network). Depending on the region, relative differences between the UVI obtained from CCMI/TUV calculations and the ground-based measurements ranged between −5.9 % and 10.6 %. We then calculated the UVI evolution throughout the 21st century for the four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5). Compared to 1960s values, we found an average increase in the UVI in 2100 (of 2 %–4 %) in the tropical belt (30∘ N–30∘ S). For the mid-latitudes, we observed a 1.8 % to 3.4 % increase in the Southern Hemisphere for RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 6.0 and found a 2.3 % decrease in RCP 8.5. Higher increases in UVI are projected in the Northern Hemisphere except for RCP 8.5. At high latitudes, ozone recovery is well identified and induces a complete return of mean UVI levels to 1960 values for RCP 8.5 in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, UVI levels in 2100 are higher by 0.5 % to 5.5 % for RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 6.0 and they are lower by 7.9 % for RCP 8.5. We analysed the impacts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) on UVI from 1960 by comparing CCMI sensitivity simulations (1960–2100) with fixed GHGs or ODSs at their respective 1960 levels. As expected with ODS fixed at their 1960 levels, there is no large decrease in ozone levels and consequently no sudden increase in UVI levels. With fixed GHG, we observed a delayed return of ozone to 1960 values, with a corresponding pattern of change observed on UVI, and looking at the UVI difference between 2090s values and 1960s values, we found an 8 % increase in the tropical belt during the summer of each hemisphere. Finally we show that, while in the Southern Hemisphere the UVI is mainly driven by total ozone column, in the Northern Hemisphere both total ozone column and aerosol optical depth drive UVI levels, with aerosol optical depth having twice as much influence on the UVI as total ozone column does.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Da Silva Palácios ◽  
Fernando Da Silva Sallo ◽  
Anna Carolinna Albino Santos ◽  
José De Souza Nogueira ◽  
Franciele Bomfiglio Santana

Estudos das propriedades óticas de aerossóis em escalas locais e suas relações com a radiação solar são de grande importância para a pesquisa atmosférica. No presente trabalho foi estimada a Forçante Radiativa de Aerossóis (ARF) sobre a superfície em uma região de transição pantanal-cerrado no estado de Mato Grosso. A região de estudo é acometida, todos os anos na estação seca, por inúmeros registros de focos de incêndios. Dessa forma buscou-se investigar quantitativamente os valores de ARF para o período seco de 2012 nessa região. Os valores de ARF foram estimados através da diferença entre PARbac (Photosynthetically Active Radiation de background ) e a média diária da PAR e os valores de AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth). Os picos negativos de ARF atingiram -63 Wm-2 em meados do mês de setembro onde o número de focos de incêndio ultrapassou 5000 registros, elevando os valores de AOD500nm à 1.4. A relação entre a ARF e AOD500nm evidenciou uma queda no fluxo da PAR de -11.49 Wm-2 para a variação de 0.1 nos valores de AOD500nm.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Nandita D. Ganguly

The influence of air pollution on the erythemal ultraviolet irradiance (UVI) reaching the earth's surface has been investigated at the Indian Antarctic station Maitri and compared with that at New Delhi, the capital of India, over a period of three years from 2005 to 2007. Total ozone column (TOC), surface ozone, NO2 column, middle tropospheric SO2 column, and BrO column are observed to exhibit a deceasing trend at Maitri, having a clean and pristine environment, while UVI and aerosol optical depth at 500 nm exhibit an increasing trend. This negative correlation suggests that O3, NO2, SO2, and BrO act as filters against erythemal ultraviolet irradiance reaching the earth's surface, while the aerosols, which are present in the atmosphere of Maitri, may not be either very effective in filtering out the UVI reaching the earth's surface or may not be large enough to produce measurable effects on UVI. TOC and BrO column are observed to exhibit a deceasing trend at New Delhi, having comparatively higher levels of pollution, while UVI, NO2 column, middle tropospheric SO2 column, surface ozone, and aerosol optical depth at 500 nm exhibit an increasing trend. This suggests that TOC and BrO act as filters against UVI, while NO2, surface ozone, SO2, and aerosols in the atmosphere of New Delhi may not be large enough to produce measurable effects on UVI.


Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 721
Author(s):  
Klára Čížková ◽  
Kamil Láska ◽  
Ladislav Metelka ◽  
Martin Staněk

This study aims to compare the ground-based Brewer spectrophotometer total ozone column measurements with the Dobson spectrophotometer and various satellite overpass data available at Marambio Base during the period 2011–2013. This station provides a unique opportunity to study ozone variability near the edge of the southern polar vortex; therefore, many institutions, such as the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, have been carrying out various scientific activities there. The intercomparison was performed using total ozone column data sets retrieved from the ground-based instruments and from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)—Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), OMI–Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS), Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME2), and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrophotometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) satellite observations. To assess the quality of the selected data products, comparisons with reference to the Brewer spectrophotometer single observations were made. The performance of the satellite observational techniques was assessed against the solar zenith angle and effective temperature, as well as against the actual shape of the vertical ozone profiles, which represent an important input parameter for the satellite ozone retrievals. The ground-based Dobson observations showed the best agreement with the Brewer data set (R2 = 1.00, RMSE = 1.5%); however, significant solar zenith angle (SZA) dependency was found. The satellite overpass data confirmed good agreement with the Brewer observations but were, however, overestimated in all cases except for the OMI(TOMS), when the mean bias differed from −0.7 DU in the case of the OMI(TOMS) to 6.4 DU for the SCIAMACHY. The differences in satellite observational techniques were further evaluated using statistical analyses adapted for depleted and non-depleted conditions over the ozone hole period.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 1645-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Yamasoe ◽  
C. von Randow ◽  
A. O. Manzi ◽  
J. S. Schafer ◽  
T. F. Eck ◽  
...  

Abstract. Biomass burning activities emit high concentrations of aerosol particles to the atmosphere. Such particles can interact with solar radiation, decreasing the amount of light reaching the surface and increasing the fraction of diffuse radiation through scattering processes, and thus has implications for photosynthesis within plant canopies. This work reports results from photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements conducted simultaneously at Reserva Biológica do Jaru (Rondonia State, Brazil) during LBA/SMOCC (Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia/ Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall, and Climate) and RaCCI (Radiation, Cloud, and Climate Interactions in the Amazon during the Dry-to-Wet Transition Season) field experiments from 15 September to 15 November 2002. AOD values were retrieved from an AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) radiometer, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) and a portable sunphotometer from the United States Department of Agriculture – Forest Service. Significant reduction of PAR irradiance at the top of the canopy was observed due to the smoke aerosol particles layer. This radiation reduction affected turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heats. The increase of AOD also enhanced the transmission of PAR inside the canopy. As a consequence, the availability of diffuse radiation was enhanced due to light scattering by the aerosol particles. A complex relationship was identified between light availability inside the canopy and net ecosystem exchange (NEE). The results showed that the increase of aerosol optical depth corresponded to an increase of CO2 uptake by the vegetation. However, for even higher AOD values, the corresponding NEE was lower than for intermediate values. As expected, water vapor pressure deficit (VPD), retrieved at 28m height inside the canopy, can also affect photosynthesis. A decrease in NEE was observed as VPD increased. Further studies are needed to better understand these findings, which were reported for the first time for the Amazon region under smoky conditions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3399-3406 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. de La Casinière ◽  
V. Cachorro ◽  
I. Smolskaia ◽  
J. Lenoble ◽  
M. Sorribas ◽  
...  

Abstract. A one week field campaign took place in September 2002 at El Arenosillo, Spain. The objective was to compare total ozone column (TOC) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from near ultraviolet to near infrared, measured by several Spanish and French instruments. Three spectroradiometers, Brewer, SPUV02, and LICOR, and a CIMEL photometer, have been used simultaneously and the results are presented for four clear days. TOC values are given by the Brewer instrument, and by SPUV02, using two different methods. The ground instruments compare satisfactorily (within 5 DU) and the values are consistent with TOMS data (within 10 DU). AOD from the various instruments are compared at seven different wavelengths between 320 nm and 1020 nm: the agreement is very good at 350, 380, and 870 nm; at the four other wavelengths the difference is smaller than 0.03, which can be explained by a relative difference of 4% only between the calibrations of the various instruments. Larger AOD diurnal variations were observed at short wavelengths than in the visible and near infrared; this is most likely due to changes in aerosol size along the day, during the campaign.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 16529-16589
Author(s):  
V. De Bock ◽  
H. De Backer ◽  
R. Van Malderen ◽  
A. Mangold ◽  
A. Delcloo

Abstract. At Uccle, a long time series (1991–2013) of simultaneous measurements of erythemal ultraviolet (UV) dose, global solar radiation, total ozone column (TOC) and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) (at 320.1 nm) is available which allows for an extensive study of the changes in the variables over time. A change-point analysis, which determines whether there is a significant change in the mean of the time series, is applied to the monthly anomalies time series of the variables. Only for erythemal UV dose and TOC, a significant change point (without any known instrumental cause) was present in the time series around February 1998 and March 1998 respectively. The change point in TOC corresponds with results found in literature, where the change in ozone levels (around 1997) is attributed to the recovery of ozone. Linear trends were determined for the different (monthly anomalies) time series. Erythemal UV dose, global solar radiation and TOC all increase with respectively 7, 4 and 3% per decade. AOD shows an (insignificant) negative trend of −8% per decade. These trends agree with results found in literature for sites with comparable latitudes. A multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis is applied to the data in order to study the influence of global solar radiation, TOC and AOD on the erythemal UV dose. Together these parameters are able to explain 94% of the variation in erythemal UV dose. Most of the variation (56%) in erythemal UV dose is explained by global solar radiation. The regression model performs well with a slight tendency to underestimate the measured erythemal UV doses and with a Mean Absolute Bias Error (MABE) of 18%. However, in winter, negative erythemal UV dose values are modeled. Applying the MLR to the individual seasons solves this issue. The seasonal models have an adjusted R2 value higher than 0.8 and the correlation between modeled and measured erythemal UV dose values is higher than 0.9 for each season. The summer model gives the best performance, with an absolute mean error of only 6%. Again, global solar radiation is the factor that contributes the most to the variation in erythemal UV dose, so there is no doubt about the necessity to include this factor in the regression models. A large part of the influence of AOD is already represented by the global solar radiation parameter. Therefore the individual contribution of AOD to erythemal UV dose is so low. For this reason, it seems unnecessary to include AOD in the MLR analysis. Including TOC however, is justified as the adjusted R2 increases and the MABE of the model decreases compared to a model where only global solar radiation is used as explanatory variable.


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