Journal Entry

Radiation to and from the Earth

Temperature: - 27.5 C, -18.2 F Windchill: -37.2 C, - 35.0 F Wind: 5 knts. Weather: clear and sunny

The Global Monitoring Division of NOAA monitors also the incoming and outgoing radiation at different sites, including at the South Pole. This is important because energy associated with the Earth’s radiation budget (incoming and outgoing radiation in our atmosphere) is not only responsible for maintaining the thermal state of the planet‘s atmosphere and oceans but also affects their motions and related processes. For instance, changes in radiation might cause climate changes, therefore, this data collection also  investigates  causes and consequences of any changes in the observed surface radiation budget of the earth’s atmosphere. How can radiation change? For instance, snow reflects more radiation . Areas without snow absorb more radiation.  If the Earth looses fields of snow then that area would absorb more radiation then reflect, contributing to the warming effect in addition to the warming of the CO2 content in the atmosphere.

Many types of instruments contribute to the radiation measurements. I am concentrating on the main components. All instruments are on the roof of ARO

1) The broadband irradiation. This will measure the incoming and outgoing radiation.

Incoming irradiation measurement Andy is explaining the instrument of incoming irradiation.*

Irradiation from the snow! Andy and Amy are going towards the instrument that registers the outgoing radiation from the snow.*

Radiation from the snow. Elke is pointing to the instrument that measures the radiation from the snow. It is important that no shadow is under the instrument.*

Radiation away from ARO The instrument for outgoing radiation is far away from ARO to assure accurate measurements.*

2) Spectral aerosol optical depth using a sun-photometer. These measurements are used to interpret the influence of small particles, called aerosol, on the surface radiation. In other words, the more particles like dust particles are in the air, the more clouds might be formed changing the radiation to and from the earth surface.

Many educators are part of the  GLOBE program that distributed photometers to determine the aerosol content in the air parallel to cloud observations in locations around the world.

The sun-photometer Amy is pointing out the sun-photometer.*

3) Spectral UV measurements: These measurements can be correlated with the Dobson ozone measurements.

UV measurements Glenn , the Aurora technician is explaining the  spectral UV measurement instrument to Elke on the roof of ARO.