Dra. Victoria Cachorro

@article{rs16203821,

title = {Retrieval of Solar Shortwave Irradiance from All-Sky Camera Images},

author = {Daniel González-Fernández and Roberto Román and David Mateos and Celia Herrero del Barrio and Victoria E. Cachorro and Gustavo Copes and Ricardo Sánchez and Rosa Delia García and Lionel Doppler and Sara Herrero-Anta and Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez and África Barreto and Ramiro González and Javier Gatón and Abel Calle and Carlos Toledano and Ángel Frutos},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/20/3821},

doi = {10.3390/rs16203821},

issn = {2072-4292},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-10-14},

urldate = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Remote Sensing},

volume = {16},

number = {20},

abstract = {The present work proposes a new model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) to retrieve solar shortwave (SW) irradiance via the estimation of the cloud modification factor (CMF) from daytime sky images captured by all-sky cameras; this model is named CNN-CMF. To this end, a total of 237,669 sky images paired with SW irradiance measurements obtained by using pyranometers were selected at the following three sites: Valladolid and Izaña, Spain, and Lindenberg, Germany. This dataset was randomly split into training and testing sets, with the latter excluded from the training model in order to validate it using the same locations. Subsequently, the test dataset was compared with the corresponding SW irradiance measurements obtained by the pyranometers in scatter density plots. The linear fit shows a high determination coefficient (R2) of 0.99. Statistical analyses based on the mean bias error (MBE) values and the standard deviation (SD) of the SW irradiance differences yield results close to ?2% and 9%, respectively. The MBE indicates a slight underestimation of the CNN-CMF model compared to the measurement values. After its validation, model performance was evaluated at the Antarctic station of Marambio (Argentina), a location not used in the training process. A similar comparison between the model-predicted SW irradiance and pyranometer measurements yielded R2=0.95, with an MBE of around 2% and an SD of approximately 26%. Although the precision provided by the SD at the Marambio station is lower, the MBE shows that the model’s accuracy is similar to previous results but with a slight overestimation of the SW irradiance. Finally, the determination coefficient improved to 0.99, and the MBE and SD are about 3% and 11%, respectively, when the CNN-CMF model is used to estimate daily SW irradiation values.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{gonzalez2024CCNeural,

title = {A neural network to retrieve cloud cover from all-sky cameras: A case of study over Antarctica},

author = {Daniel González-Fernández and Roberto Román and Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez and Victoria E. Cachorro and Gustavo Copes and Sara Herrero-Anta and Celia Herrero del Barrio and África Barreto and Ramiro González and Ramón Ramos and Patricia Martín and David Mateos and Carlos Toledano and Abel Calle and Ángel Frutos},

url = {https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/qj.4834},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4834},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-08-28},

journal = {Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society},

volume = {n/a},

number = {n/a},

abstract = {Abstract We present a new model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict daytime cloud cover (CC) from sky images captured by all-sky cameras, which is called CNN-CC. A total of 49,016 daytime sky images, recorded at different Spanish locations (Valladolid, La Palma, and Izaña) from two different all-sky camera types, are manually classified into different CC (oktas) values by trained researchers. Subsequently, the images are randomly split into a training set and a test set to validate the model. The CC values predicted by the CNN-CC model are compared with the observations made by trained people on the test set, which serve as reference. The predicted CC values closely match the reference values within ±$$ ± $$1?oktas in 99% of the cloud-free and overcast cases. Moreover, this percentage is above 93% for the rest of partially cloudy cases. The mean bias error (MBE) and standard deviation (SD) of the differences between the predicted and reference CC values are calculated, resulting in MBE=0.007$$ mathrmMBE=0.007 $$?oktas and SD=0.674$$ mathrmSD=0.674 $$?oktas. The MBE and SD are also represented for different intervals of measured aerosol optical depth and Ångström exponent values, revealing that the performance of the CNN-CC model does not depend on aerosol load or size. Once the model is validated, the CC obtained from a set of images captured every 5?min, from January 2018 to March 2022, at the Antarctic station of Marambio (Argentina) is compared against direct field observations of CC (not from images) taken at this location, which is not used in the training process. As a result, the model slightly underestimates the observations with an MBE of ?$$ - $$0.3?oktas. The retrieved data are analyzed in detail. The monthly and annual CC values are calculated. Overcast conditions are the most frequent, accounting for 46.5% of all observations throughout the year, rising to 64.5% in January. The annual mean CC value at this location is 5.5?oktas, with a standard deviation of approximately 3.1?oktas. A similar analysis is conducted, separating data by hours, but no significant diurnal cycles are observed except for some isolated months.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Almansa2024b,

title = {The Langley ratio method, a new approach for transferring photometer calibration from direct sun measurements},

author = {A. F. Almansa and Á. Barreto and N. Kouremeti and R. González and A. Masoom and C. Toledano and J. Gröbner and R. D. García and Y. González and S. Kazadzis and S. Victori and Ó. Álvarez and F. Maupin and V. Carreño and V. E. Cachorro and E. Cuevas},

url = {https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/17/659/2024/},

doi = {10.5194/amt-17-659-2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-26},

urldate = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Atmospheric Measurement Techniques},

volume = {17},

number = {2},

pages = {659–675},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{atmos15060635,

title = {The Recovery and Re-Calibration of a 13-Month Aerosol Extinction Profiles Dataset from Searchlight Observations from New Mexico, after the 1963 Agung Eruption},

author = {J.C. Antuña-Marrero and G.W. Mann and J. Barnes and A. Calle and S.S. Dhomse and V.E. Cachorro and T. Deshler and Z. Li and N. Sharma and L. Elterman},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/6/635},

doi = {10.3390/atmos15060635},

issn = {2073-4433},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

urldate = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Atmosphere},

volume = {15},

number = {6},

abstract = {The recovery and re-calibration of a dataset of vertical aerosol extinction profiles of the 1963/64 stratospheric aerosol layer measured by a searchlight at 32°N in New Mexico, US, is reported. The recovered dataset consists of 105 aerosol extinction profiles at 550 nm that cover the period from December 1963 to December 1964. It is a unique record of the portion of the aerosol cloud from the March 1963 Agung volcanic eruption that was transported into the Northern Hemisphere subtropics. The data-recovery methodology involved re-digitizing the 105 original aerosol extinction profiles from individual Figures within a research report, followed by the re-calibration. It involves inverting the original equation used to compute the aerosol extinction profile to retrieve the corresponding normalized detector response profile. The re-calibration of the original aerosol extinction profiles used Rayleigh extinction profiles calculated from local soundings. Rayleigh and aerosol slant transmission corrections are applied using the MODTRAN code in transmission mode. Also, a best-estimate aerosol phase function was calculated from observations and applied to the entire column. The tropospheric aerosol phase function from an AERONET station in the vicinity of the searchlight location was applied between 2.76 to 11.7 km. The stratospheric phase function, applied for a 12.2 to 35.2 km altitude range, is calculated from particle-size distributions measured by a high-altitude aircraft in the vicinity of the searchlight in early 1964. The original error estimate was updated considering unaccounted errors. Both the re-calibrated aerosol extinction profiles and the re-calibrated stratospheric aerosol optical depth magnitudes showed higher magnitudes than the original aerosol extinction profiles and the original stratospheric aerosol optical depth, respectively. However, the magnitudes of the re-calibrated variables show a reasonable agreement with other contemporary observations. The re-calibrated stratospheric aerosol optical depth demonstrated its consistency with the tropics-to-pole decreasing trend, associated with the major volcanic eruption stratospheric aerosol pattern when compared to the time-coincident stratospheric aerosol optical depth lidar observations at Lexington at 42° N.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Herrero-Anta2023,

title = {Retrieval of aerosol properties from zenith sky radiance measurements},

author = {Sara Herrero-Anta and Roberto Román and David Mateos and Ramiro González and Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez and Marcos Herreras-Giralda and Antonio Fernando Almansa and Daniel González-Fernández and Celia Herrero del Barrio and Carlos Toledano and Victoria Eugenia Cachorro and Ángel Máximo de Frutos},

url = {https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/4423/2023/},

doi = {10.5194/amt-16-4423-2023},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-10-09},

urldate = {2023-10-09},

journal = {Atmospheric Measurement Techniques},

volume = {16},

number = {19},

pages = {4423–4443},

abstract = {This study explores the potential to retrieve aerosol properties with the GRASP algorithm (Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties) using as input measurements of zenith sky radiance (ZSR), which are sky radiance values measured in the zenith direction, recorded at four wavelengths by a ZEN-R52 radiometer. To this end, the ZSR measured at 440, 500, 675 and 870?nm by a ZEN-R52 (ZSRZEN), installed in Valladolid (Spain), is employed. This instrument is calibrated by intercomparing the signal of each channel with coincident ZSR values simulated (ZSRSIM) at the same wavelengths with a radiative transfer model (RTM). These simulations are carried out using the GRASP forward module as RTM and the aerosol information from a co-located CE318 photometer belonging to AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) as input. The dark signal and the signal dependence on temperature are characterized and included in the calibration process. The uncertainties for each channel are quantified by an intercomparison with a co-located CE318 photometer, obtaining lower values for shorter wavelengths; they are between 3?% for 440?nm and 21?% for 870?nm. The proposed inversion strategy for the aerosol retrieval using the ZSRZEN measurements as input, i.e. so-called GRASP-ZEN, assumes the aerosol as an external mixture of five pre-calculated aerosol types. A sensitivity analysis is conducted using synthetic ZSRZEN measurements, pointing out that these measurements are sensitive to aerosol load and type. It also assesses that the retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) values in general overestimate the reference ones by 0.03, 0.02, 0.02 and 0.01 for 440, 500, 675 and 870?nm, respectively. The calibrated ZSRZEN measurements, recorded during 2.5 years at Valladolid, are inverted by the GRASP-ZEN strategy to retrieve some aerosol properties like AOD. The retrieved AOD shows a high correlation with respect to independent values obtained from a co-located AERONET CE318 photometer, with determination coefficients (r2) of 0.86, 0.85, 0.79 and 0.72 for 440, 500, 675 and 870?nm, respectively, and finding uncertainties between 0.02 and 0.03 with respect to the AERONET values. Finally, the retrieval of other aerosol properties, like aerosol volume concentration for total, fine and coarse modes (VCT, VCF and VCC, respectively), is also explored. The comparison against independent values from AERONET presents r2 values of 0.57, 0.56 and 0.66 and uncertainties of 0.009, 0.016 and 0.02?µm3?µm?2 for VCT, VCF and VCC, respectively},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Barja2023,

title = {Surface shortwave cloud radiative effect of cumulus and stratocumulus-cumulus cloud types in the Caribbean area (Camagüey Cuba, 2010-2016)},

author = {Barja, B. and Rosas, J. and Cachorro, V. E. and Toledano, C. and Antuña-Marrero, J. C. and Estevan, R. and de Frutos, A.},

editor = {Atmósfera},

doi = {10.20937/ATM.52858},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {36},

volume = {(1)},

pages = {41–56},

abstract = {The effects of cumulus (Cu) clouds and the combination of stratocumulus-cumulus (Sc-Cu) clouds on solar radiation at the Earth’s surface were evaluated at Camagüey, Cuba, during a 6-yr period (from June 2010 to May 2016). Two methods to calculate the cloud radiative effect (CRE) were employed. The first method (CREm) uses solar irradiances in cloudy conditions from actinometric observations, where cloud information was also reported by visual observation. In the second method (CRE0) surface solar irradiances were estimated for both cloudy and clear sky conditions using a 1-D radiative transfer model, and cloud optical depth (COD) retrieved from an AERONET sun-photometer as the main input. A temporal correspondence criterion between COD retrievals and actinometric observations was performed in order to classify the COD of each cloud type. After the application of this criterion, the COD belonging to the optically thin clouds was removed. Finally, 255 and 732 COD observations for Cu and Sc-Cu, respectively, were found. Results show a statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between CRE calculated for Sc-Cu and Cu, using both methods. Mean values of CREm and CRE0 for Cu (Sc-Cu) were ?442 (?390) and ?460 (?417) Wm–2, respectively. CRE0 shows a linear relation with ln(COD), with stronger correlation at a lower solar zenith angle. The shortwave cloud effect efficiency (CEE) for the two cloud types sharply decreases with the increase of the COD value up to 20. For larger COD, the CEE is less sensitive to the increase of COD.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{rs15225362,

title = {Analysis of Daytime and Night-Time Aerosol Optical Depth from Solar and Lunar Photometry in Valladolid (Spain)},

author = {Celia Herrero del Barrio and David Mateos and Roberto Román and Ramiro González and Sara Herrero-Anta and Daniel González-Fernández and Abel Calle and Carlos Toledano and Victoria Eugenia Cachorro and Ángel Máximo De Frutos Baraja},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/22/5362},

doi = {10.3390/rs15225362},

issn = {2072-4292},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

urldate = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Remote Sensing},

volume = {15},

number = {22},

abstract = {Aerosol optical depth (AOD) at night-time has become a hot topic in recent years due to the development of new instruments recording accurate ground-based lunar irradiance measurements, and the development of calibration methods and extraterrestrial irradiance models adapted to lunar photometry. This study uses all daytime and night-time AOD data available at Valladolid (Spain) from October 2016 to March 2022 in order to analyze its behavior and the added contribution of night data. The annual, monthly and daily AOD evolution is studied comparing daytime and night-time values and checking the correlation between them. For this purpose, the daily averages are computed, showing an annual pattern, with low AOD values throughout the year (mean value of AOD at 440 nm: 0.122), where winter months have the lower and summer the higher values, as observed in previous studies. All these AOD values are modulated by frequent desert dust events over the Iberian Peninsula, with a strong influence on daily and monthly mean values in February and March, where the strongest desert outbreaks occurred. The added new data confirm these results and the good correlation between daytime and night-time data. Also, a complete daily evolution is shown, observing that AOD and Ångström exponent (AE) mean values vary by only ±0.02 in 24 h, with a maximum value at 06:00 UTC and minimum at 18:00 UTC for both parameters.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{García2022b,

title = {Spectral Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Efficiency of the La Palma Volcanic Plume over the Izaña Observatory},

author = {R.D. García and O.E. García and E. Cuevas-Agulló and A. Barreto and V.E. Cachorro and C. Marrero and F. Almansa and R. Ramos and M. Pó},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/1/173},

doi = {10.3390/rs15010173},

issn = {2072-4292},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-12-28},

urldate = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Remote Sensing},

volume = {15(1)},

number = {17},

abstract = {On 19 September 2021, a volcanic eruption began on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). The eruption has allowed the assessment of an unprecedented multidisciplinary study on the effects of the volcanic plume. This work presents the estimation of the spectral direct radiative forcing (ΔF) and efficiency (ΔFEff) from solar radiation measurements at the Izaña Observatory (IZO) located on the island of Tenerife (∼140 km from the volcano). During the eruption, the IZO was affected by different types of aerosols: volcanic, Saharan mineral dust, and a mixture of volcanic and dust aerosols. Three case studies were identified using ground-based (lidar) data, satellite-based (Sentinel-5P Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument, TROPOMI) data, reanalysis data (Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2, MERRA-2), and backward trajectories (Flexible Trajectories, FLEXTRA), and subsequently characterised in terms of optical and micro-physical properties using ground-based sun-photometry measurements. Despite the ΔF of the volcanic aerosols being greater than that of the dust events (associated with the larger aerosol load present), the ΔFEff was found to be lower. The spectral ΔFEff values at 440 nm ranged between −1.9 and −2.6 Wm−2nm−1AOD−1 for the mineral dust and mixed volcanic and dust particles, and between −1.6 and −3.3 Wm−2nm−1AOD−1 for the volcanic aerosols, considering solar zenith angles between 30∘ and 70∘, respectively.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Vaquero-Martínez2022,

title = {Comparison of CIMEL sun-photometer and ground-based GNSS integrated water vapor over south-western European sites},

author = {Javier Vaquero-Martínez and André F. Bagorrilha and Manuel Antón and Juan C. Antuña-Marrero and Victoria E. Cachorro},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169809522002034},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2022.106217},

issn = {0169-8095},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-01},

urldate = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Atmospheric Research},

volume = {275},

pages = {106217},

abstract = {This work analyzes the integrated water vapor (IWV) measured at six Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) stations with nearby global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in the Iberian Peninsula for the period 2007–2018. It is shown that both instruments have a high correlation (R2 > 0.91), with small mbe below 1.5 mm and standard deviation (SD) below 2 mm. However, some dependences have been observed when MBE and SD are represented in bins of three variables: IWV, solar zenith angle (SZA), and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The greater or lesser amount of water vapor in the atmosphere seemed to be the more influential variable, increasing dry bias and SD with increasing IWV. Moreover, high SZA values were related to SD increases. A clear seasonal cycle for Cimel–GNSS differences was observed which was mainly related to IWV seasonal cycle. Additionally, AOD did not show a remarkable influence on Cimel–GNSS differences. Finally, the monthly differences are also analyzed with metadata information about Cimel device ID numbers, showing that, for long-term studies, this information can be very valuable.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Antuña-Sánchez2022,

title = {ORION software tool for the geometrical calibration of all-sky cameras},

author = {J.C. Antuña-Sánchez and R. Román and J.L. Bosch and C. Toledano and D. Mateos and R. González and V.E. Cachorro and Ángel de Frutos},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0265959},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-03-31},

urldate = {2022-03-31},

journal = {PLoS ONE 17(3)},

abstract = {This paper presents the software application ORION (All-sky camera geOmetry calibRation from star positIONs). This software has been developed with the aim of providing geometrical calibration to all-sky cameras, i.e. assess which sky coordinates (zenith and azimuth angles) correspond to each camera pixel. It is useful to locate bodies over the celestial vault, like stars and planets, in the camera images. The user needs to feed ORION with a set of cloud-free sky images captured at night-time for obtaining the calibration matrices. ORION searches the position of various stars in the sky images. This search can be automatic or manual. The sky coordinates of the stars and the corresponding pixel positions in the camera images are used together to determine the calibration matrices. The calibration is based on three parameters: the pixel position of the sky zenith in the image; the shift angle of the azimuth viewed by the camera with respect to the real North; and the relationship between the sky zenith angle and the pixel radial distance regards to the sky zenith in the image. In addition, ORION includes other features to facilitate its use, such as the check of the accuracy of the calibration. An example of ORION application is shown, obtaining the calibration matrices for a set of images and studying the accuracy of the calibration to predict a star position. Accuracy is about 9.0 arcmin for the analyzed example using a camera with average resolution of 5.4 arcmin/pixel (about 1.7 pixels).},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cachorro2022,

title = {SSolar-GOA v1.0: a simple, fast, and accurate Spectral SOLAR radiative transfer model for clear skies},

author = {V. E. Cachorro and J. C. Antuña-Sanchez and Á. M. Frutos},

url = {https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/1689/2022/},

doi = {10.5194/gmd-15-1689-2022},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-02-25},

urldate = {2022-02-25},

journal = {Geoscientific Model Development},

volume = {15},

number = {4},

pages = {1689--1712},

abstract = {The aim of this work is to describe the features of and to validate a simple, fast, accurate, and physically based spectral radiative transfer model in the solar wavelength range under clear skies. The model, named SSolar-GOA (the first “S” stands for “spectral”), was developed to evaluate the instantaneous values of spectral solar irradiances at ground level or at a given altitude of the atmosphere. The model requirements are designed based on the simplicity of the analytical expressions for the transmittance functions in order to be easily replicated and applied by a wide community of users for many different applications (atmospheric and environmental research studies, satellite remote sensing, solar energy, agronomy and forestry, ecology, and others). Although spectral, the model runs quickly and has sufficient accuracy for the evaluation of solar irradiances with a spectral resolution of 1–10?nm. The model assumes a single mixed molecule–aerosol scattering layer where the original Ambartsumian method of “adding layers” in a one-dimensional medium is applied, obtaining a parameterized expression for the total transmittance of scattering. Absorption by the different atmospheric gases follows “band model” parameterized expressions. The input parameters must be realistic and easily available since the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the main driver of the model. The validation of the SSolar-GOA model has been carried out through comparison with simulated irradiance data from the libRadtran package and with direct and global spectra measured by spectroradiometers. Thousands of spectra under clear skies have been compared for different atmospheric conditions and solar zenith angles (SZA). The SSolar-GOA is validated by a quantitative comparison with libRadtran, showing that it underestimates direct normal, global, and diffuse spectral components with relative differences of +1?% (RMSE?%?=?4.6–8), +3?% (RMSE?%?=?5.3–8), and 8?% (RMSE?%?=?9.3–9.6), respectively, when the SZA varies from 6 to 60?. Compared with the measured irradiance data of the LI-1800 and ASD spectroradiometers, the relative differences of direct normal and global components are within the overall experimental error, about ±2?%–12?% (RMSE?%?=?5–8.3), with underestimated or overestimated values. The diffuse component presents the highest degree of relative difference that can reach ±20?%–30?% and RMSE of 25?%–50?%. The relative differences depend strongly on the spectral solar region analysed and the SZA, but the high values of RMSE are due to the artifice generated by the different spectral resolution of the absorption coefficients of both models. Model approach errors combined with calibration instrument errors may explain the observed differences. The SSolar-GOA v1.0 is implemented in Python and open-source licensing.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Antuña-Marrero2022,

title = {Integrated water vapor over the Arctic: Comparison between radiosondes and sun photometer observations},

author = {Juan Carlos Antuña-Marrero and Roberto Román and Victoria E. Cachorro and David Mateos and Carlos Toledano and Abel Calle and Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez and Javier Vaquero-Martínez and Manuel Antón and Ángel M. Frutos Baraja},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016980952200045X},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2022.106059},

issn = {0169-8095},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-02-02},

urldate = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Atmospheric Research},

volume = {270},

pages = {106059},

abstract = {The amplification of global warming because of the feedbacks associated with the increase in atmospheric moisture and the decrease in sea ice and snow cover in the Arctic is currently the focus of scientists, policy makers and society. The amplification of global warming is the response to increases in precipitation originally caused by climate change. Arctic predominant increases in specific humidity and precipitation have been documented by observations. In comparison, evapotranspiration in the Arctic is poorly known, in part, because the spatial and temporal sparsity of accurate in situ and remote sensing observations. Although more than 20 observations sites in the Arctic are available, where AERONET sun photometer integrated water vapor (IWV) measurements have been conducted, that information have been barely used. Here, we present a comparison of IWV observations from radiosondes and AERONET sun photometers at ten sites located across the Arctic with the goal to document the feasibility of that set of observations to contribute to the ongoing and future research on polar regions. Sun photometer IWV observations are averaged for three-time windows; 30 min, 6 and 24 h. The predominant dry bias of AERONET IWV observations with respect to radiosondes, identified at tropical and midlatitudes, is also present in the Arctic. The statistics of the comparison show robust results at eight of the ten sites, with precision and accuracy magnitudes below 8 and 2% respectively. The possible causes of the less robust results at the other two sites are discussed. In addition, the impact of selecting other temporal coincidence windows in the average sun photometer IWV used in the comparison were tested. Auto-correlation in diurnal sun photometer IWV could produce appreciable bias in the statistics used for the comparison. We suggest using only one pair of values per day, consisting in the daily mean IWV sun photometer and the IWV radiosonde observation value. This feature should be valid also for comparison of IWV from sun photometer and other instruments. Maximum 10% error level of IWV from sun photometer observations, when compared with radiosondes, have been found for the Arctic. It is in the same order of magnitude than at tropical and middle latitudes locations. It has been demonstrated the feasibility of AERONET IWV observations in the Arctic for research on this variable. AERONET standard instruments and its centralized-standard processing algorithm allow its IWV observations to be considered a relative standard dataset for the re-calibration of other instrumental IWV observations assuming radiosondes as the absolute standard dataset.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Román2022,

title = {Retrieval of aerosol properties using relative radiance measurements from an all-sky camera},

author = {R. Román and J. C. Antuña-Sánchez and V. E. Cachorro and C. Toledano and B. Torres and D. Mateos and D. Fuertes and C. López and R. González and T. Lapionok and M. Herreras-Giralda and O. Dubovik and Á. M. Frutos},

url = {https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/15/407/2022/},

doi = {10.5194/amt-15-407-2022},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-27},

urldate = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Atmospheric Measurement Techniques},

volume = {15},

number = {2},

pages = {407--433},

abstract = {This paper explores the potential of all-sky cameras to retrieve aerosol properties with the GRASP code (Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties). To this end, normalized sky radiances (NSRs) extracted from an all-sky camera at three effective wavelengths (467, 536 and 605?nm) are used in this study. NSR observations are a set of relative (uncalibrated) sky radiances in arbitrary units. NSR observations have been simulated for different aerosol loads and types with the forward radiative transfer module of GRASP, indicating that NSR observations contain information about the aerosol type, as well as about the aerosol optical depth (AOD), at least for low and moderate aerosol loads. An additional sensitivity study with synthetic data has been carried out to quantify the theoretical accuracy and precision of the aerosol properties (AOD, size distribution parameters, etc.) retrieved by GRASP using NSR observations as input. As a result, the theoretical accuracy of AOD is within ±0.02 for AOD values lower than or equal to 0.4, while the theoretical precision goes from 0.01 to 0.05 when AOD at 467?nm varies from 0.1 to 0.5. NSR measurements recorded at Valladolid (Spain) with an all-sky camera for more than 2 years have been inverted with GRASP. The retrieved aerosol properties are compared with independent values provided by co-located AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) measurements. AODs from both data sets correlate with determination coefficient (r2) values of about 0.87. Finally, the novel multi-pixel approach of GRASP is applied to daily camera radiances together by constraining the temporal variation in certain aerosol properties. This temporal linkage (multi-pixel approach) provides promising results, reducing the highly temporal variation in some aerosol properties retrieved with the standard (one by one or single-pixel) approach. This work implies an advance in the use of all-sky cameras for the retrieval of aerosol properties.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{ClimatologyofaerosolsovertheCaribbeanislandsaerosoltypessynopticpatternsandtransport,

title = {Climatology of aerosols over the Caribbean islands: aerosol types, synoptic patterns and transport},

author = {Albeht Rodríguez-Vega and Juan Carlos Antuña-Marrero and David Barriopedro and Ricardo García-Herrera and Victoria E. Cachorro Revilla and Ángel Frutos Baraja and Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez},

url = {https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/aop/JAMC-D-21-0015.1/JAMC-D-21-0015.1.xml},

doi = {10.1175/JAMC-D-21-0015.1},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

urldate = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology},

publisher = {American Meteorological Society},

address = {Boston MA, USA},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Barja2021,

title = {Surface shortwave cloud radiative effect of Cumulus (Cu) and Stratocumulus-Cumulus (Sc-Cu) cloud types in the Caribbean area (Camagüey Cuba, 2010-2016)},

author = {B. Barja and J. Rosas and V.E. Cachorro and C. Toledano and J.C. Antuña-Marrero and R. Estevan and A.M. de Frutos},

doi = {10.20937/ATM.52858},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-06-02},

urldate = {2021-06-02},

journal = {Atmósfera},

volume = {36 (1)},

pages = {41-56},

abstract = {The effects of cumulus (Cu) clouds and the combination of stratocumulus-cumulus (Sc-Cu) clouds on solar radiation at the Earth’s surface were evaluated at Camagüey, Cuba, during a 6-yr period (from June 2010 to May 2016). Two methods to calculate the cloud radiative effect (CRE) were employed. The first method (CREm) uses solar irradiances in cloudy conditions from actinometric observations, where cloud informa-tion was also reported by visual observation. In the second method (CRE0) surface solar irradiances were estimated for both cloudy and clear sky conditions using a 1-D radiative transfer model, and cloud optical depth (COD) retrieved from an AERONET sun-photometer as the main input. A temporal correspondence criterion between COD retrievals and actinometric observations was performed in order to classify the COD of each cloud type. After the application of this criterion, the COD belonging to the optically thin clouds was removed. Finally, 255 and 732 COD observations for Cu and Sc-Cu, respectively, were found. Results show a statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between CRE calculated for Sc-Cu and Cu, using both methods. Mean values of CREm and CRE0 for Cu (Sc-Cu) were ?442 (?390) and ?460(?417) Wm–2, respectively. CRE0 shows a linear relation with ln(COD), with stronger correlation at a lower solar zenith angle. The shortwave cloud effect efficiency (CEE) for the two cloud types sharply decreases with the increase of the COD value up to 20. For larger COD, the CEE is less sensitive to the increase of COD.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{amt-14-2201-2021,

title = {Relative sky radiance from multi-exposure all-sky camera images},

author = {J C Antuña-Sánchez and R Román and V E Cachorro and C Toledano and C López and R González and D Mateos and A Calle and Á M de Frutos},

url = {https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/14/2201/2021/},

doi = {10.5194/amt-14-2201-2021},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-03-22},

journal = {Atmospheric Measurement Techniques},

volume = {14},

number = {3},

pages = {2201--2217},

abstract = {All-sky cameras are frequently used to detect cloud cover; however, this work explores the use of these instruments for the more complex purpose of extracting relative sky radiances. An all-sky camera (SONA202-NF model) with three colour filters narrower than usual for this kind of cameras is configured to capture raw images at seven exposure times. A detailed camera characterization of the black level, readout noise, hot pixels and linear response is carried out. A methodology is proposed to obtain a linear high dynamic range (HDR) image and its uncertainty, which represents the relative sky radiance (in arbitrary units) maps at three effective wavelengths. The relative sky radiances are extracted from these maps and normalized by dividing every radiance of one channel by the sum of all radiances at this channel. Then, the normalized radiances are compared with the sky radiance measured at different sky points by a sun and sky photometer belonging to the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The camera radiances correlate with photometer ones except for scattering angles below 10?, which is probably due to some light reflections on the fisheye lens and camera dome. Camera and photometer wavelengths are not coincident; hence, camera radiances are also compared with sky radiances simulated by a radiative transfer model at the same camera effective wavelengths. This comparison reveals an uncertainty on the normalized camera radiances of about 3.3?%, 4.3?% and 5.3?% for 467, 536 and 605?nm, respectively, if specific quality criteria are applied.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{atmos12030333,

title = {Morphology, Mineralogy, and Chemistry of Atmospheric Aerosols Nearby an Active Mining Area: Aljustrel Mine (SW Portugal)},

author = {Ana Barroso and Sandra Mogo and Manuela M V G Silva and Victoria Cachorro and Ángel de Frutos},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/3/333},

doi = {10.3390/atmos12030333},

issn = {2073-4433},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-03-05},

journal = {Atmosphere},

volume = {12},

number = {3},

abstract = {Mining activities increase contaminant levels in the environment, so it is crucial to study the particulate matter in these areas to understand the impacts on nearby urban areas and populations. This work was conducted close to the active mine of Aljustrel (Portugal), where black dust deposition is evident. PM10 samples were collected in two periods: 10–17 July and 1–10 November of 2018. Two different techniques were used: SEM-EDX for the individual characterization of the aerosols and ICP-MS to quantify the elemental concentration of 11 elements (Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, As, Cd, Cu, Sb, Pb, and Zn). In this region, the observed PM10 mass concentration was 20 to 47 µg m ?3 (July) and 4 to 23 µg m?3 (November), which is lower than the limit of 50 ?g m?3 established in the European Directive. The individual characterization of 2006 particles by SEM-EDX shows oxides (17%) and sulfides (10%), while Na, Si, Fe, S, Al, and Cu are the elements with the most representativeness in all the analyzed particles. The ICP-MS results indicate that the daily elemental concentration in the samples collected in July is higher than November, and only As exceeds the limit established for European legislation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{García2021,

title = {Water Vapor Retrievals from Spectral Direct Irradiance Measured with an EKO MS-711 Spectroradiometer—Intercomparison with Other Techniques},

author = {Rosa Delia García and Emilio Cuevas and Victoria Eugenia Cachorro and Omaira E. García and África Barreto and A. Fernando Almansa and Pedro M. Romero-Campos and Ramón Ramos and Mário Pó and Kees Hoogendijk and Jochen Gross},

url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/3/350},

doi = {10.3390/rs13030350},

issn = {2072-4292},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-20},

urldate = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Remote Sensing},

volume = {13},

number = {3},

abstract = {Precipitable water vapor retrievals are of major importance for assessing and understanding atmospheric radiative balance and solar radiation resources. On that basis, this study presents the first PWV values measured with a novel EKO MS-711 grating spectroradiometer from direct normal irradiance in the spectral range between 930 and 960 nm at the Izaña Observatory (IZO, Spain) between April and December 2019. The expanded uncertainty of PWV (UPWV) was theoretically evaluated using the Monte-Carlo method, obtaining an averaged value of 0.37 ± 0.11 mm. The estimated uncertainty presents a clear dependence on PWV. For PWV ≤ 5 mm (62% of the data), the mean UPWV is 0.31 ± 0.07 mm, while for PWV > 5 mm (38% of the data) is 0.47 ± 0.08 mm. In addition, the EKO PWV retrievals were comprehensively compared against the PWV measurements from several reference techniques available at IZO, including meteorological radiosondes, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), CIMEL-AERONET sun photometer and Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The EKO PWV values closely align with the above mentioned different techniques, providing a mean bias and standard deviation of −0.30 ± 0.89 mm, 0.02 ± 0.68 mm, −0.57 ± 0.68 mm, and 0.33 ± 0.59 mm, with respect to the RS92, GNSS, FTIR and CIMEL-AERONET, respectively. According to the theoretical analysis, MB decreases when comparing values for PWV > 5 mm, leading to a PWV MB between −0.45 mm (EKO vs. FTIR), and 0.11 mm (EKO vs. CIMEL-AERONET). These results confirm that the EKO MS-711 spectroradiometer is precise enough to provide reliable PWV data on a routine basis and, as a result, can complement existing ground-based PWV observations. The implementation of PWV measurements in a spectroradiometer increases the capabilities of these types of instruments to simultaneously obtain key parameters used in certain applications such as monitoring solar power plants performance.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}