FOR THE PRECISE MEASUREMENTOF GLOBAL RADIATION AND ALBEDO

Albedometers

Specifications to ISO 9060 and IEC 60904 standardsMeasure incoming and reflected solar radiation with one convenient instrumentEasily portable for field researchUsed around the world in meteorology, hydrology and climate research

Introduction

The albedo of a surface is the extent to which it diffusely reflects short-wave radiation from the sun in the wavelength range from 300 to 3000 nanometers (nm). It is the ratio of the reflected radiation to the incoming radiation and varies from 0 (dark) to 1 (bright). As an indication, albedo is about 0.15 for grass, 0.5 for dry sand and 0.8 for fresh snow. An Albedometer consists of two pyranometers. The upper sensor manufacturer measures incoming global solar radiation and the lower sensor measures solar radiation reflected from the surface below. When the two signal outputs have been converted to irradiance in W/m2, the albedo can be simply calculated.Kipp & Zonen has been manufacturing pyranometers for over 75 years and our CMA albedometers share this experience and technology. They comply with the requirements of ISO 9060 and are fully traceable to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR) in Davos, Switzerland, where Kipp & Zonen instruments form part of the World Standard Group.