All-weather ultraviolet solar spectra retrieved at a 0.5-Hz sampling rate

A measurement scheme and an algorithm have been developed to retrieve global irradiance ultraviolet solar spectra (290-400 nm) at a sampling rate of 0.5 Hz. The algorithm combines spectral irradiance measurements performed with a slow (a few minutes) scanning spectroradiometer (Optronic Model OL752) and a moderate bandwidth multichannel radiometer (Biospherical ground-based ultraviolet radiometer Model 541). The filter radiometer instrument allows for continuous observations of global UV radiation at five channels (approximately 10-nm bandwidth), performed simultaneously with spectral measurements. Information about changing cloud conditions during a spectral scan was retrieved from filter measurements and applied to spectral data, hence estimated spectra without cloud variations could be constructed. The quality of the estimated spectra depends on data quality from both instruments. The method works well in all kinds of weather conditions, as long as the Sun is above the horizon and none of the instruments are hampered by measurement errors.