Instrument

Sunphotometer
Sunphotometer

Sunphotometers are passive optical sensors that measure the amount of sunlight. They are pointed directly at the sun to measure direct sunlight and not sunlight scatter from aerosols. These measurements can be used to determine the aerosol optical depth by following Beer’s Law. Sunphotometers have been deployed on aircraft, research vessels, and field sites for aerosol research and monitoring.

Image of a sunphotometer a Thule Air Base

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Overview

Instrument Details

Measurement Type

Optical/Photon

Measurement/Variables

Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols

Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Sunshine

Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation

Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Optical Depth/thickness

Vertical Measurement Regions

Land Surface, Troposphere

Temporal Resolution

Variable

Spatial Resolution

Variable

Measurement Frequency

Variable

Calibration Details

Currently unavailble

Online Information

https://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Operational/BSSN/aerosol2-GLOBE.pdf

Lead Investigator
Currently unavailable
Technical Contact
Currently unavailable
Instrument Maker
Varies
Funding Source
Currently unavailable
Overview Publications
Currently unavailable
Repositories
- Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)
- data center outside NASA
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL)

Instrument Operation

Platform

Campaigns, where the platform was used with this instrument

Field Site

Campaign Field Sites

Stationary

62 Campaigns · 158 Instruments

FIFE

First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

1987—1989

Central Kansas

view all deployment dates

· 101 Data Products

ACEPOL

Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar

2017

Western United States

view all deployment dates

· 6 Data Products

OTTER

Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

1989—1991

western coniferous forest in Oregon

view all deployment dates

· 14 Data Products

TARFOX

Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment

1996

Western Atlantic Ocean, US Eastern Seaboard

view all deployment dates

· 5 Data Products

SAFARI 2000

Southern African Regional Science Initiative

1999—2001

Southern Africa

view all deployment dates

· 117 Data Products

BOREAS

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

1994—1996

Boreal forests of central Canada

view all deployment dates

· 303 Data Products

FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998

Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska

view all deployment dates

· 131 Data Products

SCAR

Smoke/Sulfates, Clouds, and Radiation

1993—1995

Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, Central Brazil

view all deployment dates

· 6 Data Products

PAC2001

Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study

2001

Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada

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· 8 Data Products

PROVE

Prototype Validation Exercise

1997

Jornada Experimental Range near Las Cruces, New Mexico

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· 4 Data Products

ASTEX

Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment

1992

Azores and Madeira islands

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· 0 Data Products

SMEX

Soil Moisture Experiment

2002—2005

Iowa, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Sonora, Mexico

view all deployment dates

· 0 Data Products

C-130

C-130 Hercules

17 Campaigns · 90 Instruments

OTTER

Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

1989—1991

western coniferous forest in Oregon

view all deployment dates

· 14 Data Products

Image of a FLUXNET tower in Harvard Forests, Maine

Permanent Land Site

Campaign Permanent Land Sites

Stationary

49 Campaigns · 75 Instruments

WISC-T2000

Wisconsin Snow and Cloud Terra 2000 Experiment

2000

Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Canada, Wisconsin

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· 0 Data Products

SUCCESS

SUbsonic aircraft: Contrail & Clouds Effects Special Study

1996

Central and Western United States

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· 1 Data Product

SOLVE

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

1999—2003

Arctic, Kiruna, Sweden

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· 32 Data Products

ARCSIX

Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface Interaction EXperiment

2024

Greenland, Arctic Ocean

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· 0 Data Products

Vehicle

Campaign Vehicles

18 Campaigns · 58 Instruments

FIREX-AQ

Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality

2019

Northwestern and Southeastern US

view all deployment dates

· 26 Data Products

MOOSE

Michigan-Ontario Ozone Source Experiment

2021

Southern Ontario, Southeastern Michigan

view all deployment dates

· 2 Data Products

INTEX-NA

Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

2004—2006

North America, Gulf of Mexico, North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean

view all deployment dates

· 21 Data Products

Point Sur

R/V Point Sur

2 Campaigns · 11 Instruments

SCOAPE

Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment

2019

Gulf of Mexico

view all deployment dates

· 4 Data Products

photo of the research vessel Ronald H Brown

R/V RHB

R/V Ronald H. Brown

3 Campaigns · 45 Instruments

CalWater

2015

California, Sierra Nevada Range

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· 0 Data Products

SO GasEx

Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment

2008

Southern Ocean

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· 0 Data Products

R/V John Martin

Research Vessel John H. Martin

1 Campaign · 3 Instruments

COAST

Coastal and Ocean Airborne Science Testbed

2011

Monterey Bay, CA

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· 0 Data Products

Endeavor

R/V Endeavor

2 Campaigns · 12 Instruments

SABOR

Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research Experiment

2014

NW Atlantic Ocean

view all deployment dates

· 0 Data Products

Permanent Water Site

Campaign Permanent Water Sites

Stationary

4 Campaigns · 12 Instruments

CLAMS

Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites

2001

Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean

view all deployment dates

· 5 Data Products

R/V Shearwater

1 Campaign · 6 Instruments

PACE-PAX

Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment

2024

Southern and Central California

view all deployment dates

· 0 Data Products

Data Products

Filter data products from this instrument by specific campaigns, platforms, or formats.

Campaigns

Platforms

Formats

Optical Thickness Cross-Calib. (FIFE)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/60

CampaignsFirst International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

PlatformsC-130 Hercules, Campaign Field Sites

Optical Thickness Data: Ground (OTTER)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/65

CampaignsOregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

Canopy Chemistry (OTTER)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/26

CampaignsOregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

Optical Thickness Data: Aircraft (OTTER)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/61

CampaignsOregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

PlatformsC-130 Hercules

SAFARI 2000 AOT and Column Water Vapor, Kalahari Transect, Wet Season 200010.3334/ORNLDAAC/719

CampaignsSouthern African Regional Science Initiative

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

Optical Thickness Data: Fraser (FIFE)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/64

CampaignsFirst International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

Optical Thickness Data: Staff (FIFE)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/66

CampaignsFirst International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

Optical Thickness Data: Bruegge (FIFE)10.3334/ORNLDAAC/62

CampaignsFirst International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

BOREAS RSS-11 Ground Sunphotometer Data10.3334/ORNLDAAC/297

CampaignsBoreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

BOREAS RSS-18 Sunphotometer Data over the SSA10.3334/ORNLDAAC/503

CampaignsBoreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

BOREAS RSS-12 Automated Ground Sunphotometer Measurements in the SSA10.3334/ORNLDAAC/299

CampaignsBoreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

PlatformsCampaign Field Sites

KORUS-AQ Research Vessel (R/V) Onnuri Ship Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/KORUSAQ_RVOnnuriShip_Data_1

CampaignsKorean United States - Air Quality

PlatformsR/V Onnuri

INTEXB_GROUND

CampaignsIntercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

PlatformsCampaign Vehicles, Campaign Field Sites

SCOAPE R/V Point Sur Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SCOAPE_RVPointSur_Data_1

CampaignsSatellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment

PlatformsR/V Point Sur

FormatsNetCDF-3, ICARTT

SunphotometerSunphotometer

Overview

Instrument Details

Instrument Operation

Data Products

Sunphotometer
Sunphotometer