This lesson outlines the importance of measurements of atmospheric radiation and describes the main types of instrumentation used in obtaining these measurements. Solar radiation instrumentation described includes 1) thermal detectors (pyranometers and pyroelectric radiometers), 2) spectral instruments, and 3) instruments for direct and diffuse components of the radiation. Terrestrial radiation measurements include both broadband and spectrally resolved measurements. Actinic flux density measurements and measurements from special platforms, including airborne observations, are also described. The lesson is part of the "Instrumentation and Measurement of Atmospheric Parameters" course and is intended primarily for undergraduate and graduate students with some previous knowledge of atmospheric science and mathematics.
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- Identify the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that provide information about the energy balance on Earth.
- Define radiance, irradiance, radiant flux, and actinic flux.
- Explain how radiance, irradiance, and actinic flux are measured.
- Describe the main sensor types and techniques used to measure radiation in the atmosphere.
- Estimate the net irradiance using data from a set of upward- and downward-looking radiometers.
- Explain some of the challenges involved in obtaining representative atmospheric irradiance measurements from various platforms.
- Differentiate between cloudy and clear-sky conditions based on plots of visible and IR irradiance.
- Select the radiation sensor that might be most appropriate for a specified measurement and scientific objective.
atmosphere, radiation, instrumentation, measurement, electromagnetic spectrum, EM, blackbody, emissivity, direct, diffuse, broadband, spectral, Planck's Law, Wien's Law, Kirchoff's Law, Stefan-Bolzmann Law, Lambert's Cosine Law, thermal detector, pyranometer, pyroelectric radiometer, pyrgeometer, actinic flux, irradiance, radiance, solid angle, solar, infrared, calibration
