Antarctic Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements from 1988 and 1993

Aerosol optical depth measurements were collected at the BTN (Icaro Camp) station in Antarctica during the austral summers of 1988 and 1993. The dataset includes values for 8 spectral channels between 400 and 1050 nm, recorded under clear-sky conditions. Data was gathered using a UVISIR-2 sun-photometer built at the FISBAT-Institute and provided by the organization SCIOPS.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal trends in aerosol optical depth at 8 specific wavelengths (400-1050 nm) over two Antarctic summers.
• Correlating aerosol optical depth values with the provided relative optical air mass data for atmospheric correction studies.
• Using the clear-sky condition flag and scanning time interval (~1.5 minutes) to study short-term atmospheric variability.
• Identifying missing data periods by filtering for the placeholder value 999.000 to ensure data quality in time-series analysis.

Strengths

• Data covers 8 distinct spectral channels, enabling multi-wavelength analysis.
• Measurements were taken under controlled clear-sky conditions, reducing cloud contamination.
• Values are provided with 3-digit precision, and a clear missing data indicator (999.000) is defined.

Limitations

• The dataset is temporally limited to two summer campaigns (1988, 1993), offering no continuous long-term record.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to a single station (BTN, Icaro Camp) in Antarctica.
• Sample size is unknown, but the short collection periods suggest a limited number of observations.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (via SCIOPS organization).

Collection Method

Measurements from a UVISIR-2 sun-photometer, with aerosol optical depth calculated by accounting for molecular scattering and gaseous absorption (H2O, O3, NO2).

Time Range

Austral summers of 1988 and 1993.

Freshness

Data is historical, with the last update recorded in February 1994.

Geography

BTN station (Icaro Camp), Antarctica.