Performance of a FieldSpec spectroradiometer for aerosol optical depth retrieval: method and preliminary results.

The performance of a FieldSpec spectroradiometer for retrieving aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been assessed after modifying its basic configuration in order to measure direct solar irradiance at ground level. The FieldSpec measurements were obtained during four summertime days in the years 2004 and 2005, over a Spanish agricultural site in Barrax, Albacete (30 degrees 3(') N, 2 degrees 6(') W, 700 m a.s.