HR: 1340h
AN: A43D-1563    [Abstracts]
TI: An Evaluation of Infrared Sky Imagers for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program
AU: * Morris, V
EM: victor.morris@pnl.gov
AF: Pacific Nortwest National Laboratory, P.O.Box 999 MSIN K9-24, Richland, WA 99352, United States
AB: To obtain retrievals of fractional sky cover over its research sites, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility uses Total Sky Imagers (TSIs), which provide real-time processing and visible images of daytime sky conditions. However, for a continuous picture of cloud life-cycles, a nighttime visual technology is needed. Therefore, a field campaign was conducted in September 2007 at the Southern Great Plains site to compare measurements of cloud fraction from five different types of infrared sky imagers and to compare the daytime values with an operational TSI. Each instrument captures hemisphere infrared images of the sky during both the day and night. The inter-comparison study provided an operational testing and evaluation period to verify reliability and performance of the systems, as well as to understand the characteristics of the data, especially the nighttime cloud fraction product.
DE: 3310 Clouds and cloud feedbacks
DE: 3359 Radiative processes
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3394 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting