The diffuse-to-global and diffuse-to-direct-beam spectral irradiance ratios as turbidity indexes in an urban environment

Continuous measurements of solar spectral radiation using the Multi-filter Rotating Shadow Band Radiometer (MFRSR) are performed at the Actinometric Station of the National Observatory of Athens (ASNOA). The present study utilizes three clear-sky days of continuous observations, from local sunrise to local sunset, in order to investigate the daily variation of the radiation components (diffuse, global and direct-beam) as well as their ratios (diffuse-to-global, DGR, and diffuse-to-direct-beam, DDR) under different atmospheric conditions. Both ratios have received great scientific interest, especially for investigating solar irradiance modifications under various atmospheric conditions, aerosol load and optical properties. Apart from this, the present study shows that the DDR can constitute a measure of atmospheric turbidity when it is determined at longer wavelengths, while the DGR cannot. The effect of the solar zenith angle (SZA) on both ratios is significant at the shorter wavelengths with varying sensitivities depending on the aerosol field and sun elevation. The present study confirms the results obtained by previous solar irradiance measurements in Athens and also those computed via radiative transfer codes and sheds light on the scientific knowledge of the use of spectral DDR as an atmospheric turbidity index. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.