Atmospheric Ozone, Solar Radiation and Atmospheric Electricity Measurements in the Years 2006-2007

Abstract

Potential impact of the atmospheric aerosol on surface UV radiation is presented. Sun-photometer data collected at Belsk in the period March 27 − April 19, 2007, as well as satellite data, were used to estimate the UV irradiance response to the aerosols optical depth (AOD) changes during smoke/dust event and advection of the clear Atlantic air mass. The mean attenuation of the erythemally weighted surface UV irradiance due to smoke was ~3% in the case of sun-photometer data and ~7% in the case of satellite data, whereas ~10% increase relative to the overall mean UV level was estimated during the clear Atlantic air episode. It seems that the satellite observations can provide accurate estimate of the aerosol optical depths for “clear” air masses and when the AOD exhibits small intraday variations. It was also found that extrapolation of satellite data to UV range leads to an overestimation of AODs.