Izana Atmospheric Research Center

The first campaign of the CEOS-CAL at the Izaña Observatory

On December-2009 the first campaign of the CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation Satellites) CAL-VAL (Calibration and Validation) project of the European Space Agency (ESA) has been celebrated at the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory. The Brewer #037 of the Finnish Meteorological Institute-Arctic Research Centre (FMI-ARC) (former Sodankylä Observatory) has been compared with the European reference triad of the Regional Brewer Calibration Center (RCBB-E), managed by Alberto Redondas, at the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (IARC).

Two experts from FMI-ARC, Juha Karhu and Pauli Heikkinen, operated the Brewer#037 during the campaign, coordinated by Esko Kyro, principal investigator of the project. This exercise is a continuation of the two SAUNA campaigns were held at Sodankylä Observatory in 2006 and 2007, in a complete different environment. During the SAUNA campaigns an underestimation of the ozone was found in single Brewers (like #037) with high ozone and high solar zenith angles. Now we recreate the experiment with low ozone and high solar zenith angles, typical conditions of a subtropical observatory. The Brewer #037 has been calibrated at the Izaña observatory and characterized in the laboratory. In addition, we use this campaign for testing new or non usual measurements routines like direct-moon or focused-sun measurements.

The campaign has also been used to compare the Izaña’s NILU-UV multifilter radiometer and the recent acquired NILU for the Assekrem GAW Station (Algeria), against the FMI traveling reference managed by the FMI expert Outi Meinander.  This is a continuation activity of the QA/QC of the AEMET Antarctic Network  which is performed by FMI since 1999.

Juha Karhu and Pauli Heikkinen (Finish Meteorological Institute) at Izaña diring the CAL-VAL campaign.