The performance of Gigahertz Optik’s BTS array-spectroradiometer-based systems configured for the determination of total ozone column (TOC) has been validated in two long term studies. Results have been compared with the well-established Dobson and Brewer spectrometers (single- and double-monochromator types) over a period of more than 1 year.

Read the full results of the studies, available in a paper published within the Atmospheric Measurement Techniques journal.

One study was conducted by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) in Hohenpeißenberg, Germany using Gigahertz Optik’s turnkey BTS-Solar system. The other study was performed by the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium (PMOD/WRC) in Davos, Switzerland using a system based on the fibre coupled BTS2048-UV-S-F spectroradiometer.

Both systems used TOC retrieval algorithms based on spectral measurements in the range of 305 to 350 nm instead of single-wavelength or wavelength pair measurements as per Brewer or Dobson. However, they used fundamentally different retrieval algorithms for the TOC assessment. Overall, the BTS-Solar performed at the level of Brewers in the comparison, thereby offering a convenient, contemporary and cost-effective alternative to the traditional Dobson and Brewer spectrophotometers that have been in use since the 1920s and 1980s, respectively.

See our full range of spectroradiometers for solar radiation applications.