Influence of urban aerosol on spectral solar irradiance
- Univ. of Barcelona (Spain)
From a dataset of spectral distribution of global and diffuse solar irradiances measured in Barcelona during the last three years, the influence of turbidity caused by urban aerosol on spectral composition of solar radiation and transmissivity of urban atmosphere has been determined for cloudless conditions. The effect of urban aerosol is remarkable, mainly in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum, where attenuation of global irradiance surpasses 25% on very polluted days. The increase in diffuse UV irradiance caused by aerosols ranges in the interval 4%-50%, while this increase ranges from 20% to 250% for the whole solar spectrum. Comparison of spectral irradiance observed for different turbidities with various models shows a good agreement, mainly in the UV and visible spectral regions. Erythemally effective irradiance, that is, a biological measure of the sunburning power of solar radiation, has also been calculated for different aerosol concentrations, giving values in the range of 0.15-0.25 W m{sup {minus}2} in the UV region but insignificant values for the rest of the solar spectrum. 23 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 105451
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Meteorology, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Meteorology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 33; ISSN 0894-8763; ISSN JOAMEZ
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Diffuse and global solar spectral irradiance under cloudless skies
The spectral distribution of solar ultraviolet radiation at the ground