Optical properties of Saharan dust during ACE-2

Abstract. The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) of automatic Sun/sky radiometers collected data on Tenerife, Canary Islands, in June-July 1997 during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 2). Initially, two instruments were deployed at Izana observatory (2360 m above sea level) and one...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Smirnov, B. N. Holben, L I. Slutsker, E. J. Welton, P. Formenti
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1998
Subjects:
Aerosol Robotic Network
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.477.2582
http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/PDF/98JD01930.pdf
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Summary:Abstract. The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) of automatic Sun/sky radiometers collected data on Tenerife, Canary Islands, in June-July 1997 during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 2). Initially, two instruments were deployed at Izana observatory (2360 m above sea level) and one at a mountain station Teide (3570 m above sea level). Repeatability of the calibration constants (Langley method) for all instruments was less than 0.5%. Aerosol optical depths measured by colocated sunphotometers and column size distributions, retrieved from spectral sky radiance data, were in good agreement. Later, one of the instruments was relocated at sea level. On July 8, 17, and 25, Saharan dust outbreaks were observed. Diurnal variations of spectral aerosol optical depth are presented. Relative diurnal stability of Saharan dust optical properties has been observed. Volume size distributions at various heights (sea level and 2360 m above sea level) show that the main portion of coarse particles is situated above 2360 m level. Measurements on July 25 showed how incoming dust has changed the magnitude and spectral dependence of aerosol optical depth and volume spectra of columnar aerosol. Mean optical depth and Angstrom parameter values for Saharan dust outbreaks during the ACE 2 experiment agree well with the Atlantic Ocean and Bermuda data obtained during the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX) in July 1996, as well as with previously reported Atlantic Ocean results. Also, there is a good agreement between ACE 2 data for Saharan air masses and data obtained on certain sites of the AERONET network. 1.

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