We newly developed a technique of radiation thermometry using a Sony's consumer digital camcorder. Our system is not only convenience and cost effective but with a better performance than previous infrared thermometers, particularly in the place like a crater of volcano where is abundant in gas. This is because our system uses the submicron wavelength band, in which radiation is less influenced by absorption of gas than in the thermal infrared wavelength (>3 μm). We carried out observations of red glow at Aso volcano and succeeded in measuring the temperature of about 800• C, which is much more acceptable than previously reported values of 200-400• C. When we measure the temperature of about 300-700• C and 600-900• C in the place where is abundant in gas, using the camcorder with the near-infrared and with the visible wavelength mode is better than the thermal infrared region, respectively.

Detailed observations of temperature evolution are required to clarify the mechanism of the nocturnal evolution of urban heat island. We conducted spatial and temporal high-density observation of temperature and longwave radiation in Kyoto City, Japan. The results suggest that the time evolution associated with temperature phase shift is one type of urban heat island evolution.

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The convergent and divergent wind over the Japanese islands is estimated using meteorological observation data to examine the general characteristics of land and sea breeze driven by differential heating of land and sea. The results show an annual cycle wind called the "Japanese Monsoon" blows, as well as a diurnal cycle flow. These winds are caused by the temperature difference between the Japanese islands and the surrounding sea. The divergent wind field over the Japanese islands can be expressed simply as a superposition of synoptic-scale phenomena (wind fields with seasonal and daily cycles). An annual variation in the amplitude of the diurnal cycle wind is closely related to the magnitude of solar radiation.

A simple directional pyrgeometer is tested and compared with a conventional standard pyrgeometer. The system presented in this article has a narrow directional response and points to the representative zenith angle of 52.58. Because of its directional response, it can be used in a street canyon or in a forest provided that a small part of the sky is visible at the representative angle. The system can be assembled using inexpensive parts that are widely used in household appliances. As this system does not have a flat spectral sensitivity, a spectral correction method is also presented. The results show that the output of the new system agrees well with that from a conventional pyrgeometer (Kipp & Zonen CG3). The correlation coefficient is 0.995 and the standard deviation is 5.6 W m 22 for 1-h averaged values.