760 CHINESE OPTICS LETTERS / Vol. 7, No. 9 / September 10, 2009
New method for calibration of sun photometers
H. H. Asadov
∗
and I. G. Chobanzadeh
Azerbaijan National Aerospace Agency, AZ1106, Av. Azadlig, Baku, Azerbaijan
∗
E-mail: hasadzade2001@yahoo.com
Received December 31, 2008
A new method for calibration of sun photometers based on Bouguer-Beer law is proposed. The developed
basic equation of calibration makes it possible to formulate the derivative methods of calibration on the
basis of photometric measurements upon optical air masses, the ratio of which is an integer number.
OCIS codes: 010.0010, 120.0120, 280.0280, 300.0300.
doi: 10.3788/COL20090709.0760.
It is obvious that the development of new space and
ground remote sensing device s leads to the increase of
requirements for more perfect calibration of these sen-
sors. One can state that till now the method of Langley
diagrams remains as a basic method for the calibration
of gr ound sets of sun photometers
[1−4]
. This method is
based on Boug uer-Beer law, a ccording to which the in-
tensity of solar radiatio n at the input of photometer I(λ)
may be determined as
I(λ) = I
0
(λ)e
−mτ
atm
, (1)
where λ is the wavelength, I
0
(λ) is the solar constant,
i.e., the intensity of sun radiation at the upper bo rder of
atmosphere; m is the optical air mass; τ
atm
is the optical
thickness of atmosphere, which is defined in ultraviolet
(UV) band as
τ
atm
= τ
oz
+ τ
Ray
+ τ
aer
, (2)
where τ
oz
, τ
Ray
, and τ
aer
are optical thicknesses of a tmo-
spheric ozone, Rayleigh scattering, and aerosol, respec-
tively.
According to the method of Lang ley, Eq. (1) should be
transformed to
lnI(λ) = lnI
0
(λ) − mτ
a
tm
. (3)
Then we can draw the linear diagram of dependence of
lnI(λ) on m, as shown in Fig. 1.
The common rule for drawing Langley diagrams con-
sists of the following steps.
1) Calcula tion of lnI(λ) for two values of m, i.e., m
1
and m
2
, which correspond to appropriate angles of ob-
serva tion of the Sun, θ
1
and θ
2
.
2) Drawing the graphic model of function lnI(λ) =
f(m) using two values of m.
3) The linear type graphics of afo resaid function is ex-
trapolated as far as m = 0, where this line crosses the
ordinate axis.
4) Taking into co ns ideration the linearity of “input-
output” functional dependence of the photometer. It
should be as sumed that the output sig nal is proportional
to I
0
(λ).
The main shortage of the Langley diagram method is
that temporal variations of optica l depth of atmosphere
may lead to mistakes in the calibration of photometers.
There are some modifications of this method. For exam-
ple, it is propos e d to use the fo rmula
[5]
lnI
m
=
lnI
0
m
− τ,
i.e., to draw simila r diagrams of
lnI
m
= f
1
m
.
It is stated that in the case of “shor t” diagrams
(m
max
= 3), the Langley method and the alternative
method proposed in Ref. [2] are quivalent, but in the case
of “long” diagrams (m
max
= 8), the difference between
these two methods becomes more significant. When the
high-frequency atmospheric fluctuation occurs, the alter-
native method is better than the former one; but if the
low-frequency atmospheric fluctuation presents, the clas-
sic Langley method is preferable.
The interesting idea sugge sted in Ref. [6] is that similar
diagrams for three-wavelength photometer should have
an argument not for the optical air mass, but for the ad-
justable combination of optical thicknesses in three wave -
lengths. Adjusting the value of this combination as far as
zero, one can reach the wanted combination of solar con-
stants in three wavelengths. But this idea is significant
only fo r multi-wavelength methods of sun pho tometry.
We describe a new calibration method fo r sun pho-
tometers which is also based on Bouguer-Beer Law. It
is assumed that the photometric ground measurements
are carried out at the wavele ngth λ by air mass m. In
this case, the intensity of solar radiation at the input of
photometer may be determined as
I (λ, m) = I
0
(λ) e
−mτ
, (4)
Fig. 1. Langley diagram for calibration of sun photometers.
1671-7694/2009/090760-04
c
2009 Chinese Optics Letters