Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Science Rendezvous > 2009 Posters
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Cessna mounted multi-filter radiometers

Gary Hodges¹,²

¹ Cooperative Institute for the Research of Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, ² NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado, 80305

A multi-filter radiometer (MFR) has been mounted in a down-pointing positionin the wing of a Cessna 206 airplane that operates out of the Ponca City, Oklahoma airport. This instrument is essentially the head of a multi-filter rotating shadow band radiometer (MFRSR). As with the MFRSR, the Cessna MFR measures at 415, 500, 615, 673, 870 and 940 nm (10nm FWHM) as well as an open or broadband channel. For over a decade the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) has operated two fixed MFRs at the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) located in north-central Oklahoma. One instrument is located at 10m above pasture, and the other at 25m above an active agricultural field. While these instruments provide valuable data, their field-of-view is limited to the immediate area under the towers upon which they are mounted. Along with the irradiance data, additional information available in the Cessna MFR datastream includes latitude, longitude, and altitude. This instrument will be lamp calibrated on a regular basis along with the two ACRF MFRs, and an ACRF MFRSR. Data from this collection of instruments are suitable for the development of a spectral surface albedo product. While the Cessna MFR is currently functional and providing calibrated data each time the plane is flown, it is still undergoing improvements in the mounting hardware. An improved mount will facilitate the necessary removal for routine lamp calibration, as well as ensuring the instrument is mounted in a position such that it is normal to the surface while the plane is in nominally level flight. Data from this instrument are available as of August 2007.