Aerosol layer properties over Kyiv from AERONET/PHOTONS sunphotometer measurements during 2008–2009

Abstract

The AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) is one of the most developed ground-based networks for aerosol monitoring. Radiative measurements (solar irradiance extinction, aureole brightness and sky light polarization) are used by the AERONET inversion retrieval technique to derive a wide variety of aerosol particle properties and parameters that are important for estimations of aerosol influences on climate change. Within the framework of scientific cooperation between Université de Lille 1 and Taras Shevchenko National University (TSNU) of Kyiv (Kiev), a CIMEL CE 318-2 sunphotometer has been operating at Kyiv since March 2008. This article presents a preliminary analysis of the columnar aerosol properties retrieved from Kyiv sunphotometer measurements and one case study with unusual behaviour of the aerosol parameters. Version 2 of the AERONET inversion products (spectral aerosol optical thickness (AOT), the Ångström parameter (α), single-scattering albedo (SSA), size distribution and refractive index, and aerosol radiative forcing estimations) is considered in the analysis, demonstrating variability of aerosol properties and radiative forcing at the Kyiv observational site during a 1-year period.