Sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
Introduction
The “Environmental Physics Group” at the University of Girona (UdG) is leading a
network of researchers who focus their studies on radiation in the atmosphere and interactions between clouds and radiation. This network is temporally sponsored by a “Complementary Action” of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation named “SKY CAMERAS: DEVELOPMENT AND USE IN RESEARCH ON CLOUDS-UV RADIATION INTERACTION”. The goal of the network is to reinforce or establish scientific collaboration between the UdG group and research groups from four different Southern Hemisphere countries (Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and Chile) as well as other interested groups across Europe. This is being accomplished by performing short stays of the UdG researchers at the other centers, and a final meeting, in Girona, of all people involved.
This workshop is formally the final activity of the “Complementary action”, but it could mean an additional step towards further cooperation and joint research. In order for other Spanish/European interested researchers to attend, the meeting will be open, despite of having a program that is clearly focused on the interests of the network’s associates.
The topics to be developed in the meeting are mainly the further development of digital all-sky cameras (and subsequent image processing) for observing clouds from the earth’s surface and the use of such devices in the analyses of the effects of clouds on UV radiation. However, other aspects of solar radiation (including UV), LW radiation, UV biological implications, cloud observation, radiation and cloud climatology,… may also be presented and discussed in this meeting.
Venue: Rooms III-09/III-10, Escola Politècnica Superior, Universitat de Girona.
Campus Montilivi, Girona.
Registration: free, but please communicate your intention to attend, by e-mail to josep.calbo@udg.edu
Presentations of research works
Tuesday, 9:00-11:00
• Risks and benefits of UV radiation (Richard Mckenzie, NIWA, New Zealand)
• UV Index at Santiago de Chile (time series of 16 years) (Sergio Cabrera, ICBM, Chile)
• UV radiation and clouds: from a broad review to an analysis of NIWA data (Josep Calbó, UdGirona, Spain)
Tuesday, 11:30-13:30
• Cloud Cover Assessment at Florianopolis, Brazil by an All Sky Ground Based Camera System (Mariza P. de Souza-Echer, INPE, Brazil)
• Sky radiance measurements and cloud camera observations in Hannover, Germany and Lauder, New Zealand (Gunther Seckmeyer, UHannover, Germany)
• Using the TSI-imager for the identification of cloudless skies in the determination of aerosols’ reduction in the UV (erythemal dose rate) incidence (Abel A. Silva, LLUV, Brazil)
Wednesday, 9:00-11:00
• Clouds, aerosol and solar radiation in southeastern Spain (Alberto Cazorla, UdGranada, Spain)
• Cloud characteristics from transmittance measurements (Josep-Abel González, UdGirona, Spain)
• Aerosols and UV radiation (Richard McKenzie, NIWA, New Zealand)
Wednesday, 11:30-13:30
• Variability of Vitamin D production radiation in southern South-America (Sergio Cabrera, ICBM, Chile)
• Digital image processing of the Whole Sky Camera images (Josep Calbó, UdGirona, Spain)
• Solar dimming and brightening in New Zealand (Richard McKenzie, NIWA, New
Zealand)
Discussions (Wednesday afternoon and Thursday)
These sessions are intended for close interactions among researchers involved in the network and other researchers interested in the topics. Possible topics for discussion:
- What is a cloud? Revisiting the definition; spectral dependency of definition. Clouds from ground vs clouds from satellite.
- Sky cameras. New CCD cameras. IR cameras. Digital image processing of sky images: next steps to be done. Cloud type? Relative cloud/sun geometry? FOV? Time resolution? Type and size of images. Use for radiance determination.
- Cloud effects on radiation: what is still to be known. Total transmittance.
Enhancements. Total solar and UV bands.
- Instrumentation for cloud observation. Ceilometer, satellite, radiometers,…
- Aerosols and clouds. How do they interact, as far as effects on radiation and radiation measurements are concerned? Aerosol influencing UVB
Other activities
Visit to Catalan Meteorological Service meteorological radar (to be confirmed, Tuesday afternoon)