Articles | Volume 5, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-531-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-531-2016
Research article
 | 
22 Nov 2016
Research article |  | 22 Nov 2016

In search of traceability: two decades of calibrated Brewer UV measurements in Sodankylä and Jokioinen

Anu Heikkilä, Jakke Sakari Mäkelä, Kaisa Lakkala, Outi Meinander, Jussi Kaurola, Tapani Koskela, Juha Matti Karhu, Tomi Karppinen, Esko Kyrö, and Gerrit de Leeuw

Abstract. The two Brewer spectrophotometers of the Finnish Meteorological Institute at Jokioinen and Sodankylä have been operated according to the highest levels of the WMO∕GAW (World Meteorological Organization∕Global Atmosphere Watch) recommendations with rigorous quality control and quality assurance. The calibration of the instruments is based on annual recalibrations of primary standard lamps in the VTT MIKES Metrology National Standards Laboratory in Finland and an exhaustive measurement program with measurements of standard and working lamps in the on-site optical laboratories. Over the years, the maintenance of the calibration has produced data sets of approximately 2000 lamp scans for both instruments. An extensive re-examination of the lamp measurements and the response of the spectrophotometers was carried out. The primary standard lamps were found to age on an average rate of 0.3 % per burn. The responsivity at wavelength 311 nm was found to exhibit both long-term and short-term changes. The overall long-term change was declining. In addition, abrupt changes of as large as 25 % were detected. The short-term changes were found to fluctuate on time frames shorter than the interval between the measurements of the primary standard lamps. This underlines the importance of the use of more frequently measured working standard lamps.

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Short summary
Lamp measurements used for the UV irradiance calibration of two Brewer spectrophotometers operated for 20 years in Jokioinen and Sodankylä, Finland, were examined. Temporal development of the responsivity after fixing the irradiance measurements into a specific scale was studied. Both long-term gradual decrease and abrupt changes in responsiveness were detected. Frequent-enough measurements of working standard lamps were found necessary to detect the short-term variations in responsiveness.