ON THE OBSERVATION OF TOTAL AND NET ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION

Abstract

Simultaneous night observations with four different sensors for the long-wave atmospheric radiation were obtained with a radiosonde, specially equipped for this purpose. The sensors consisted of (1) a radiometersonde as developed by Sumoi and Kuhn, (2) a disc-type total radiometer, and (3) two spherical total radiometers (i.e., a ?black ball? as developed by Gergen and a blackened silver sphere). The total radiations measured by the disc and the radiometersonde are in fairly good agreement. The total radiations measured with the two spheres showed a difference which may partly be caused by convection and conduction inside the ?black ball?. The total radiation measured with the spherical sensors tends to be less than that of the disc in the upper part of the sounding which may be caused by the transparency of the atmosphere at those heights. The temperature difference between the air temperature and the radiative equilibrium temperature seems to be more or less related to the divergence of the net radiation.