European UV Research Project
Published: Monday, September 16, 2013
Kipp & Zonen is a partner in the new European Joint Research Project "Traceability for Surface Spectral Solar Ultraviolet Radiation". This project, EMRP ENV03, is a collaboration between National Metrology Institutes (NMI’s), the research community in Europe and partners from industry.
The aim of the project is to improve the reliability of spectral solar UV radiation measurements at the earth’s surface by developing new techniques and instruments and by shortening the traceability chain to the fundamental SI unit. The target is to provide traceable solar UV measurements with an uncertainty of 1 % to 2 %; a factor of 5 improvement compared to the current situation. This is essential to quantify changes in solar UV radiation over decades that are expected to affect the global climate system.
Kipp & Zonen is involved in this three year project because the Brewer spectrophotometer is the most commonly used instrument for spectral solar UV measurements world-wide.
The National Metrological Institutes of the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland (VSL, PTB and METAS) will develop new standard lamps for irradiance and wavelength calibrations. To test these new light sources, we will provide a Brewer MkIII spectrophotometer. Together with Aalto (NMI of Finland) and CMS-Schreder of Austria, we will develop an improved diffusor for the Brewer input optics to measure UV global radiation.
The project started in August 2011 and will run until July 2014. Several meetings and technical workshops are scheduled that also invite the end-users of UV instruments. The latest developments will be presented at several conferences. The project officially ends with an inter-comparison of UV spectroradiometers of about 10 days in May/June 2014 at the World Radiation Center, Davos, Switzerland. This will provide access to the tools and techniques developed during the project in order to significantly decrease current uncertainties in measuring spectral solar UV radiation.