Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Hemispheric (SAS-He) Performance: Initial Evaluation using TCAP data

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Description

Measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at several discrete wavelengths are routinely available at ARM sites from MFRSR (Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer) and AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sun photometers. In addition to these standard discrete wavelength measurements, total column extinction from hyperspectral measurements can offer an important input for simultaneous retrievals of trace gases. The required hyperspectral measurements are provided by a new ground-based radiometer, the so-called Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Hemispheric (SAS-He), recently developed with support from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility. Compared to its predecessors, the SAS-He has an increased spectral coverage and improved spectral resolution. We illustrate its initial performance using an integrated data set collected during the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP; http://campaign.arm.gov/tcap/). We demonstrate that, on average, the SAS-He AODs match closely the MFRSR and AERONET AODs even during periods with large day-to-day and diurnal AOD changes.