Testing and Development of a Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer Network for Distributed Monitoring of Aerosol Optical Depth and Fine Mode Fraction on US Northeast Region

Information about global distributions of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and size categorization is necessary to quantify the aerosol radiative forcing as well as a method to monitor air-quality such as fine particulate matter. The development of suitable radiometer networks is central to this effort. Modern robotic solar instruments for retrievals of aerosols optical depth and other microphysical parameter retrievals, such as the CIMEL Sky Scanning Radiometers part of the Aeronet Network are crucial to this effort but are unfortunately quite sparse and expensive. It has been proposed that the use of more cost effective devices likes the multi-filter rotating shadow-band radiometer in a network might prove sufficient. Direct observations of the effects of aerosols are quite limited even with current advances in satellite base aerosols remote sensing.