Updated Evaluation Product Available for Calculating Surface Spectral Albedo

Published: 12 November 2009

An updated version of the Surface Spectral Albedo (SurfSpecAlb1Mlawer) value-added product (VAP) has been released as an Evaluation Product for the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The original version of the algorithm created a near-continuous best estimate of broadband and narrowband downwelling irradiance, upwelling irradiances, and surface albedo using the multi-filter radiometers (MFRs) on the 10-meter and 60-meter towers and the multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs) at the SGP Central Facility. The updated version uses these best estimates, along with an algorithm developed by Dr. Eli Mlawer of Atmospheric Environmental Research, Inc., to identify the dominant observed surface type at each tower and then extrapolate the 6-channel narrowband albedos to high spectral resolution.

The new high-resolution surface albedo product enables users to run high-spectral-resolution radiative transfer models or to calculate broadband albedos across specific wavelength ranges of interest for running various broadband radiative transfer models. A surface spectral flux file and an IDL routine for integrating the spectral albedo are also available to aid users in integrating the albedos across a specific wavelength range.

Data from December 2003 through August 2009 have been processed and are available in the ARM Data Archive; a user login is required. Additional data will be processed on a monthly basis. Questions? Contact Sally McFarlane (sally.mcfarlane@pnl.gov) or Krista Gaustad (krista.gaustad@pnl.gov).