Abstract. This paper is an overview of the progress in sky radiometer technology and the development of the network called SKYNET. It is found that the technology has produced useful on-site calibration methods, retrieval algorithms, and data analyses from sky radiometer observations of aerosol, cloud, water vapor, and ozone. A formula was proposed for estimating the accuracy of the sky radiometer calibration constant F0 using the improved Langley (IL) method, which was found to be a good approximation to observed monthly mean uncertainty in F0, around 0.5 % to 2.4 % at the Tokyo and Rome sites and smaller values of around 0.3 % to 0.5 % at the mountain sites at Mt. Saraswati and Davos. A new cross IL (XIL) method was also developed to correct an underestimation by the IL method in cases with large aerosol retrieval errors. The root-mean-square difference (RMSD) in aerosol optical thickness (AOT) comparisons with other networks took values of less than 0.02 for λ≥500 nm and a larger value of about 0.03 for shorter wavelengths in city areas and smaller values of less than 0.01 in mountain comparisons. Accuracies of single-scattering albedo (SSA) and size distribution retrievals are affected by the propagation of errors in measurement, calibrations for direct solar and diffuse sky radiation, ground albedo, cloud screening, and the version of the analysis software called the Skyrad pack. SSA values from SKYNET were up to 0.07 larger than those from AERONET, and the major error sources were identified as an underestimation of solid viewing angle (SVA) and cloud contamination. Correction of these known error factors reduced the SSA difference to less than 0.03. Retrievals of other atmospheric constituents by the sky radiometer were also reviewed. Retrieval accuracies were found to be about 0.2 cm for precipitable water vapor amount and 13 DU (Dobson Unit) for column ozone amount. Retrieved cloud optical properties still showed large deviations from validation data, suggesting a need to study the causes of the differences. It is important that these recent studies on improvements presented in the present paper are introduced into the existing operational systems and future systems of the International SKYNET Data Center.
[1] The long-term changes in aerosol optical depth (AOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA) at 0.75 mm from the 1970s to the 2000s at 14 sites in Japan were estimated from the direct and diffuse irradiances measured by ground-based broadband radiometers under clear-sky conditions. Noticeable changes in AOD and SSA were seen: AOD decreased by 0.02, and SSA increased by 0.21. The ratio of surface solar irradiance to solar irradiance at the top of the atmosphere under clear-sky conditions, calculated from the estimated AOD and SSA, showed apparent brightening of +0.05, of which +0.01 was attributed to a decrease of AOD and +0.04 to an increase of SSA. The cloud forcing of the surface solar irradiance, estimated as the difference between the surface solar irradiance measured under cloudy-sky conditions and that under clear-sky conditions, showed no significant trend. These findings suggest that the brightening in Japan has been caused by changes in aerosol optical properties, especially SSA, rather than by cloud changes.
Abstract. To retrieve the physical properties of aerosols from multi-channel ground-based and satellite measurements, we developed a shape model of coated soot particles and created a dataset of their optical properties. Bare soot particles were assumed to have an aggregate shape, and two types of aggregates with different size–shape dependences were modeled using a polyhedral Voronoi structure. To simulate the detailed shape properties of mixtures of soot aggregates and adhered water-soluble substances, we propose a simple model of surface tension derived from the artificial surface potential. The light-scattering properties of the modeled particles with different volume fractions of water-soluble material were calculated using the finite-difference time-domain method and discrete-dipole approximation. The results of the single-scattering albedo and asymmetry factors were compared to those of conventional internally mixed spheres (i.e., effective medium spheres based on the Maxwell-Garnett approximation and simple core-shell spheres). In addition, the lidar backscattering properties (i.e., lidar ratios and linear depolarization ratios) of the modeled soot particles were investigated. For internally mixed soot particles, the lidar backscattering properties were sensitive to the shape of the soot particles and the volume mixing ratio of the assumed water-soluble components. However, the average optical properties of biomass smoke, which have been reported from in situ field and laboratory measurements, were difficult to explain based on the individually modeled particle. Nonetheless, our shape model and its calculated optical properties are expected to be useful as an alternative model for biomass smoke particles in advanced remote sensing via multi-channel radiometer and lidar measurements.
[1] A method to estimate aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo from broadband direct and diffuse irradiances was developed. Using irradiances simulated with and without errors, the accuracies of estimated optical thickness from 0.7 to 0.8 mm and single scattering albedo in the visible wavelength region were determined to be about 0.02 and 0.05, respectively. Resulting time variations in optical thickness and single scattering albedo by broadband radiometers agreed well with sky radiometer retrievals. Long-term variations in optical thickness and single scattering albedo from 1975 to 2008 at Tsukuba, Japan, were estimated by the method described. Optical thickness increased until the mid-1980s, then decreased until the late 1990s, and was almost constant in the 2000s. The single scattering albedo was about 0.8 until the late 1980s, gradually increased, and has remained at approximately 0.9 since the mid-1990s. The surface global irradiance under clear sky conditions calculated from estimated aerosol optical properties showed an apparent transition from dimming to brightening around the mid-1980s. The magnitude of the brightening was about 12.7 W m −2 ; of this, 8.3 W m −2 was due to a decrease in optical thickness, and the remaining 4.4 W m −2 was due to an increase of single scattering albedo. On the other hand, the surface global irradiance measured under cloudy conditions increased by 2.6 W m −2 . The dimming and brightening by aerosols were weakened by the changes in clouds. The method described could be useful in evaluating aerosol influences on long-term changes in the surface solar radiation at many sites around the world.Citation: Kudo, R., A. Uchiyama, A. Yamazaki, T. Sakami, and O. Ijima (2011), Decadal changes in aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo estimated from ground-based broadband radiometers: A case study in Japan,
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