Knowledge of the spectral behavior of aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the solar spectrum is required for realistic estimates of aerosol radiative forcing. To describe this behavior over an extended period, individual AOD records provided by several co-located ground-based instruments with different design and operation characteristics need to be combined. There are three main challenges associated with such combining; these stem from differences between the instruments in terms of: (1) data quality, (2) continuity, and (3) the measurement wavelengths of each instrument . The first two challenges have been addressed successfully using our approach (Kassianov et al., 2021). Here we demonstrate how the third challenge can be addressed to generate combined AODs at different wavelengths. In particular, we consider generation of the combined AODs at five wavelengths (415, 500, 615, 673, 870 nm) for a 21-year period (1997-2018) using individual AOD records obtained from four instruments deployed at a US continental site. We also discuss wavelength-dependent uncertainties of the generated AODs and future applications of this extended approach for different sets of wavelengths and locations.
Kassianov, E., Cromwell, E., Monroe, J. et al. Harmonized and high-quality datasets of aerosol optical depth at a US continental site, 1997–2018. Sci Data 8, 82 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00866-2
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