Quality assurance of solar UV irradiance in the Arctic

Abstract

The first Arctic intercomparison of three solar ultraviolet (UV) spectroradiometers and two multifilter radiometers was held in May and June 2009 at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. The transportable reference spectroradiometer QASUME acted as reference instrument for this intercomparison. The measurement period extended over eleven days, comprising clear sky and overcast weather conditions. Due to the high latitude, measurements could be performed throughout the day during this period. The intercomparison demonstrated that the solar UV measurements from all instruments agreed to within ±15% during the whole measurement period, while the spectroradiometer from the Alfred-Wegener Institute agreed to better than ±5%. This intercomparison has demonstrated that solar UV measurements can be performed reliably in the high-latitude Arctic environment with uncertainties comparable to mid-latitude sites.