In general, measurements of UV radition are related to horizontal surfaces, as in the case of the internationally standardized and applied UV index, for example. In order to obtain more relevant information on UV exposure of humans the new measuring system ASCARATIS (Angle SCAnning RAdiometer for determination of erythemally weighted irradiance on TIlted Surfaces) was developed and built. Three systems of ASCARATIS have been in operation at different locations in Bavaria for 3 years, providing erythemally weighted UV irradiation data for 27 differently inclined surfaces every 2 min. On the basis of these data virtual three-dimensional models of the human body surface consisting of about 20,000 triangles could be created and each of these triangles coloured according to its UV irradiation. This allowed the UV exposure of the human body to be visualized for any kind of body posture and spatial orientation on the basis of real measuring data. The results of the UV measurements on inclined surfaces have shown that measuring UV radiation on horizontal surfaces, as done routinely worldwide, often underestimates the UV exposure of the human skin. Especially at times of the day or year with low solar elevations the UV exposure of parts of the human skin can be many times higher than that of the horizontal surface. Examples of three-dimensional modelling of the human UV irradiation are shown for different times of the day and year, altitudes above sea level, body postures and genders. In these examples the UV "hotspots" can be detected and, among other things, used to inform and educate the public about UV radiation.

The performance of the boundary determination of fog and low stratiform cloud layers with data from a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) cloud radar and a Vaisala ceilometer is assessed. During wintertime stable episodes, fog and low stratiform cloud layers often occur in the Swiss Plateau, where the aerological station of Payerne, Switzerland, is located. During the international COST 720 Temperature, Humidity, and Cloud (TUC) profiling experiment in winter 2003/04, both a cloud radar and a ceilometer were operated in parallel, among other profiling instruments. Human eye observations (“synops”) and temperature and humidity profiles from radiosoundings were used as reference for the validation. In addition, two case studies were chosen to demonstrate the possibilities and limitations of such ground-based remote sensing systems in determining low clouds. In these case studies the cloud boundaries determined by ceilometer and cloud radar were furthermore compared with wind profiler signal-to-noise ratio time series. Under dry conditions, cloud-base and -top detection was possible in 59% and 69% of the cases for low stratus clouds and fog situations, respectively. When cases with any form of precipitation were included, performances were reduced with detection rates of 41% and 63%, respectively. The combination of ceilometer and cloud radar has the potential for providing the base and top of a cloud layer with optimal efficiency in the continuous operational mode. The cloud-top height determination by the cloud radar was compared with cloud-top heights detected using radiosounding humidity profiles. The average height difference between the radiosounding and cloud radar determination of the cloud upper boundary is 53 ± 32 m.

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[1] Radiative transfer model calculations of solar fluxes during cloud-free periods often show considerable discrepancies with surface radiation observations. Many efforts have been undertaken to explain the differences between modeled and observed shortwave downward radiation (SDR). In this study, MODTRAN4v3r1TM (designed later simply as MODTRAN TM ) was used for model simulations and compared with high-quality radiation observations of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) site at Payerne, Switzerland. Results are presented for cloud-free shortwave downward radiation calculations. The median differences of modeled minus observed global SDR are small (<1%) and within the instrumental error. The differences of modeled and observed direct and diffuse SDR show larger discrepancies of À1.8% and 5.2%, respectively. The diffuse SDR is generally overestimated by the model, and more important, the model to observation linear regression slope and zero intercept differ significantly from their ideal values of 1 and 0. Possible reasons for the discrepancies are presented and discussed, and some modifications are investigated for decreasing such differences between modeled and observed diffuse SDR. However, we could not resolve all the discrepancies. The best agreement is obtained when comparing model simulations whose 550-nm aerosol optical depth input is inferred from observations using nine spectral channels and using BSRN observations performed with a new and more precise shading disk and Sun-tracking system. In this case, the median bias between model simulations and observed diffuse SDR is À0.4 W m À2 (<1%).