Broadband Radiometers

Instrument Description

Identifying Information

Full Name: Broadband Radiometers
Short Name or Acronym: Pyrgeometers and Pyranometers

Model if applicable: Kipp & Zonen CGR4 (pyrgeometers), Kipp & Zonen CMP22 (pyranometers)

Measurements Made and Methods Used

Measurements Provided: Irradiance (w/m2)-- Pyrgeometers (4.5-40 um), Pyranometers (0.2-3.6 um)
Manufacturer or Builder of the Instrument: Kipp&Zonen with mods by NRL, DFS, and RAF

When Acquired: 2009-2010 (pyrgeometers); 2011-2012 (pyranometers)

Operational Status: C-130 pyrgeometers - requestable; GV pyrgeoemters - requestable; C-130 pyranometers - still under development
- requestable, ready for deployment
General Description:
- CMP22 pyranometer
- CGR4 pyrgeometer (unmodified)
Measurement Characteristics:
- Overall estimate of uncertainty:
- Response time:
- Precision:
- Other measurement characteristics (comments on signal/noise, bias limits, etc):

Calibration Methods:
- Pyrgeometer calibration currently handled by NRL (Anthony Bucholtz)
History of Significant Changes to the Instrument:
- C-130 and GV pyrgeometers (2)
  - replaced amplifiers
  - fabricated new back-housing and mounting plate
  - signal conditioning box (NRL)
- C-130 pyranometers (2)
  - new back-housing and rewiring on first pyranometer
  - mounted on stabilized platofrm

Description of Software, Data Handling, and Data Flow:
- Software Components (data acquisition, display, processing, and analysis):
- Data Processing Chain (from flight to archival):
  - Each pyrgeometer and pyranometer (upward and downward looking) provides voltage outputs corresponding to irradiance and sensor temperature. Voltages are recorded by the NIDAS data-recording system on the aircraft and are subsequently converted to w/m2 and degrees C, respectively using polynomial fits applied in the standard data-processing program 'nimbus', which produces the netCDF-format archive files. For more information of data handling, see this page: StandardDataPath.
QA Procedures and Needs:

Safety Issues:
Examples of Measurements:
- Pyrgeometer Measurements from IDEAS-IV

Lead Contacts

Lead Contact: Julie Haggerty

Documentation

Descriptive Publications
Documentation of the Processing Algorithm(s): See the Technical Note on Processing Algorithms at this URL (fix when available)
Internal users: See http://wiki.eol.ucar.edu/rafscience/BroadbandRadiometers (last edited 2012-12-13)