Cimel SunPHOTometer (CSPHOT)

Information updated on Mon Aug 4 20:52:48 2008

General Data Description

Cimel sunphotometer data in ASCII format are downloaded from the AERONET site on a monthly basis and converted to netCDF before being transferred to the ARM Archive.
More information about the CSPHOT can be found on the ARM CSPHOT Instrument Page

Data Stream Names

nsacsphotalmC1.a1
nsacsphotalm1duboC1.a1
nsacsphotaotC1.a1
nsacsphotaotfiltC1.a1
nsacsphotaotfiltqaC1.a1
nsacsphotcoarsepfn1C1.a1
nsacsphotfinepfn1C1.a1
nsacsphottotalpfn1C1.a1
nsacsphotppC1.a1
nsacsphotsizeC1.a1

sgpcsphotalmC1.a1
sgpcsphotalm1duboC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotfiltC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotfiltqaC1.a1
sgpcsphotcoarsepfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphotfinepfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphottotalpfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphotppC1.a1
sgpcsphotsizeC1.a1

twpcsphotalmC2.a1
twpcsphotalm1duboC2.a1
twpcsphotaotC2.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltC2.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC2.a1
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C2.a1
twpcsphotfinepfn1C2.a1
twpcsphottotalpfn1C2.a1
twpcsphotppC2.a1
twpcsphotsizeC2.a1

twpcsphotalmC3.a1
twpcsphotalm1duboC3.a1
twpcsphotaotC3.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltC3.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC3.a1
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C3.a1
twpcsphotfinepfn1C3.a1
twpcsphottotalpfn1C3.a1
twpcsphotppC3.a1
twpcsphotsizeC3.a1

Measurement Description

nsacsphotalmC1.a1
sgpcsphotalmC1.a1
twpcsphotalmC2.a1
twpcsphotalmC3.a1

solar zenith angle (degrees)
Almucantar sky radiance (microwatts per square centimeter per nanometer per steradian) as a function of wavelength and azimuth angle

nsacsphotalm1duboC1.a1
sgpcsphotalm1duboC1.a1
twpcsphotalm1duboC2.a1
twpcsphotalm1duboC3.a1

Aerosol optical thickness at 440 nm - measured (unitless)
Aerosol optical thickness at 8 wavelengths (unitless)
Total precipitable water vapor (cm)
Aerosol optical thickness extinction at 8 wavelengths for coarse, fine and total particles (unitless)
Aerosol optical thickness absorption at 8 wavelengths for coarse, fine and total particles (unitless)
Angstrom coefficient 440-870 nm (unitless)
Angstrom coefficient 440-870 nm absorption (unitless)
Angstrom coefficient 440-870 nm extinction (unitless)
Refractive index, real and imaginary for 4 wavelengths (unitless)
Asymmetry factor at 4 wavelengths for coarse, fine and total particles (unitless)
Single scattering albedo at 4 wavelengths for coarse, fine and total particles (unitless)
Column volume size distribution (dV/dlnr)
Volume concentration for coarse, fine and total particles (um^3/um^2)
Effective radius for coarse, fine and total particles (um)
Volume median radius for coarse, fine and total particles (um)
Standard deviation of volume median radius for coarse, fine and total particles (unitless)
Almacantar type (unitless)
Data type (unitless) - indicates particle model used
Sun and sky errors (percent)
Size index (unitless)
Particle size distribution tail screening 1 and 2 (percent)
Tail level (um)
Solar zenith angle (degrees)

nsacsphotaotC1.a1
nsacsphotaotfiltC1.a1
nsacsphotaotfiltqaC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotfiltC1.a1
sgpcsphotaotfiltqaC1.a1
twpcsphotaotC2.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltC2.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC2.a1
twpcsphotaotC3.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltC3.a1
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC3.a1

Aerosol optical thickness at 8 wavelengths (unitless)
Total precipitable water vapor (cm) and water error (percent)
Triplet variability at 8 wavelengths (percent)
Angstrom coefficient at 6 wavelength ranges (unitless)
Solar zenith angle (degrees)

nsacsphotcoarsefn1C1.a1
nsacsphotfinepfn1C1.a1
nsacsphottotalpfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphotcoarsepfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphotfinepfn1C1.a1
sgpcsphottotalpfn1C1.a1
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C2.a1
twpcsphotfinepfn1C2.a1
twpcsphottotalpfn1C2.a1
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C3.a1
twpcsphotfinepfn1C3.a1
twpcsphottotalpfn1C3.a1

Phase functions as a function of scattering angle and wavelength for coarse, fine or total mode depending on data stream (unitless)
Almacantar type (unitless)
Solar zenith angle (degrees)
Angstrom coefficient 440-870 nm (unitless)
Aerosol optical thickness at 440 nm - measured (unitless)
Sun and sky errors (percent)
Size index (unitless)
Particle size distribution tail screening 1 and 2 (percent)
Tail level (um)

nsacsphotppC1.a1
sgpcsphotppC1.a1
twpcsphotppC2.a1
twpcsphotppC3.a1

Principle planes sky radiance #(microWatt/(cm^2 * nm * ster) as a function of time and view zenith angle
Wave length #(um) as a function of time
Solar zenith angle (degrees)

# Note Principle planes sky radiance is indirectly a function of both wavelength and view zenith angle

nsacsphotsizeC1.a1
sgpcsphotsizeC1.a1
twpcsphotsizeC2.a1
twpcsphotsizeC3.a1

Column volume size distribution by Nakajima's method (dV/dlnr)
Aerosol coefficient (unitless)
Particle Size Distribution Tail Screening (percent)
Aerosol optical thickness (unitless)

Temporal Coverage

NSA and TWP Darwin CSPHOT data begin 04/09/2003.
SGP CSPHOT data begin in April 1994.
TWP Nauru data begin in June 1999.

For current deployment status see: http://www.xdc.arm.gov/docs/data_info/instruments/CSPHOTdeployStatus.html

Area Covered

Data are available for the NSA, SGP and for the TWP Darwin and Nauru sites.

Data Stream Inputs

nsacsphotalmC1.00
nsacsphotalm1duboC1.00
nsacsphotaotC1.00
nsacsphotaotfiltC1.00
nsacsphotaotfiltqaC1.00
nsacsphotcoarsepfn1C1.00
nsacsphotfinepfn1C1.00
nsacsphotppC1.00
nsacsphotsizeC1.00
nsacsphottotalpfn1C1.00

sgpcsphotalmC1.00
sgpcsphotalm1duboC1.00
sgpcsphotaotC1.00
sgpcsphotaotfiltC1.00
sgpcsphotaotfiltqaC1.00
sgpcsphotcoarsepfn1C1.00
sgpcsphotfinepfn1C1.00
sgpcsphotppC1.00
sgpcsphotsizeC1.00
sgpcsphottotalpfn1C1.00

twpcsphotalmC2.00
twpcsphotalm1duboC2.00
twpcsphotaotC2.00
twpcsphotaotfiltC2.00
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC2.00
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C2.00
twpcsphotfinepfn1C2.00
twpcsphotppC2.00
twpcsphotsizeC2.00
twpcsphottotalpfn1C2.00

twpcsphotalmC3.00
twpcsphotalm1duboC3.00
twpcsphotaotC3.00
twpcsphotaotfiltC3.00
twpcsphotaotfiltqaC3.00
twpcsphotcoarsepfn1C3.00
twpcsphotfinepfn1C3.00
twpcsphotppC3.00
twpcsphotsizeC3.00
twpcsphottotalpfn1C3.00

Notification Form Link

CSPHOT Notification Form

Contacts

ARM Mentor

There is no mentor per se. Responsibility for the instrument calibration and maintenance rests with AERONET and the individual site operations staff. The XDC is responsible for the acquisition of the processed data from the AERONET website. Contact Laurie Gregory for problems with the archived data.

ARM Software Developer

Laurie Gregory