New radiation station at the Teide Peak Observatory

The Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (Meteorological State Agency of Spain), in collaboration with the Teide Cableway (Teleférico del Teide) and the Teide National Park Authority installed in the cable car terminal (28 ° 16 ‘12.7 “N, 16 ° 38 ‘19.6 “W, 3555 m asl) a CM-11 pyranometer (Kipp & Konen) and a Yankee UVB-1 pyranometer In July 2012, which have been measuring in test mode during the last months. This station, named Pico del Teide (PTO), will soon be equipped with a surface ozone analyzer. Thus PTO has been established as a satellite-station of IZO, part of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW). Pico del Teide station, together Jungfraujoch (3454 m asl), in Switzerland, are the highest permanent atmospheric observatories in Europe.

This station will complement existing measurements of radiation and aerosol optical depth of the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center at the Santa Cruz Observatory (36 m a.s.l.) and at the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory (2.367 m a.s.l.) which will allow us to study the variation of the global radiation, UV-B and aerosol optical thickness from sea level to the 3,550 m a.s.l.

In addition to the radiation instruments two solar photometers Cimel EC-318 were temporarily installed this summer at PTO. These instruments, together two sunphotometers located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at sea level, and at the Izaña Observatory, are part of the measurement campaign MAASC (Multilayer Atmospheric Aerosol Summer Campaign). This campaign is designed to study the vertical distribution of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), which mainly in summer is observed over Tenerife. These photometers are included in the AERONET global network managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This new station is the highest active station currently operating in AERONET network.

Station Pico del Teide (PTO), given its strategic location, will play an important role in the study of radiation and atmospheric aerosols.

Figure 1. – Instruments installed at the Teide Peak Observatory (TPO; 3555 m asl).

Figure 2.- Global radiation measured at the Santa Cruz Observatory (blue line), Izaña Observatory (red line) and Teide Peak Observatory (green line) on 16 and 30 August, 2012.

Figure 3.- UVB radiation measured at the Izaña Observatory (red line) and Teide Peak Observatory (blue line) on 30 August and 4 September, 2012.