Validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument UV Satellite Data Using Spectral and Broadband Surface Based Measurements at a Queensland Site.

This research reconstructed and validated the broadband UVA irradiances derived from discrete spectral irradiance data retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite from 1 January to 31 December 2009. OMI data at solar noon were compared to ground-based spectral irradiances at Toowoomba (27°36' S 151°55' E), Australia, at 310, 324 and 380 nm for both cloud-free and all sky conditions. There was a strong relationship between the ground-based UV spectroradiometer data and satellite-based measurements with an R of 0.89 or better in each waveband for cloud-free days. The data show an overestimate of the satellite-derived spectral irradiances compared to the ground-based data. The models developed for the subtropical site data account for this overestimation and are essential for any data correlation between satellite- and ground-based measurements. Additionally, this research has compared solar noon broadband UVA irradiances evaluated with a model and the discrete satellite spectral irradiances for the solar noon values of cloud-free days to those measured with a ground-based UVA radiometer. An R of 0.86 was obtained confirming that for cloud-free days the broadband UVA can be evaluated from the OMI satellite spectral irradiances.