Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • SPLASH Field Study; Spectral Surface Albedo Observations from NOAA GML/GRAD and CIRES at Kettle Ponds (CKP) (NCEI Accession 0305473)

    Metadata Updated: December 1, 2025

    Overview The NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML), Radiation, Aerosols, and Cloud Division (G-RAD), in collaboration with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder, conducted spectral surface albedo measurements at — Kettle Ponds (CKP) — as part of the NOAA Study of Precipitation, the Lower Atmosphere, and Surface for Hydrometeorology (SPLASH) campaign. Spectral albedo values were derived from combined upwelling and downwelling hemispheric irradiance measurements in seven narrow spectral bands centered at nominal wavelengths of 415, 500, 670, 870, 940, and 1625 nm. Downwelling irradiance was measured using an upward-facing Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR). Upwelling irradiance was measured using a downward-facing Multifilter Radiometer (MFR) mounted approximately 2 meters above ground level. Measurements were recorded at a 20-second interval. Due to the sequential nature of MFRSR observations — which reconstruct downwelling irradiance from irradiances during various shadowband positions — each timestamp represents neither a purely instantaneous nor a time-averaged measurement. The full measurement cycle is completed within eight seconds prior to each reported timestamp. Calibration Approach Instrument responsivity calibrations were performed using: Laboratory lamp calibrations for the MFRSR (downwelling) In-field side-by-side calibration for the MFR (upwelling) Relative calibration between the MFR and MFRSR reduced propagated uncertainty in the albedo product. Surface albedo was computed as the simple ratio of the calibrated upwelling to downwelling irradiance at each wavelength. Note: The NOAA/GML/GRAD calibration facility does not currently support absolute responsivity calibration at 1625 nm. Consequently, irradiance values at this wavelength carry an unknown scaling factor. However, a side-by-side calibration was performed, enabling valid and consistent albedo retrievals at 1625 nm. Data Quality Considerations (notes on both locations) During winter, both instruments were occasionally buried in snow when snow depths exceeded their 2-meter installation height. These periods — more frequent at CKP than CBC (Brush Creek) — were not removed from the dataset and may be associated with degraded data quality. Users should exercise caution when analyzing data from winter periods, particularly at CKP, due to potential signal degradation caused by snow coverage over the instruments. Data from the CKP site are affected by several quality issues, particularly prior to 2022-11-03. These include intermittent data loss, occasional jumps in the MFRSR signal at 670 nm, and oscillations in the MFR signal, most notably at 1625 nm. While much of the data remains usable, users are advised to apply increased scrutiny when using CKP observations before 2022-11-03. Data quality improved significantly after 2022-11-03. Data Availability Spectral surface albedo data are available for the following date ranges: CKP: 2021-12-20 through 2023-08-15 File Naming Convention Files are named as follows: ...nc Example: ckp.spectral_surface_albedo.20230623.nc ckp – Site identifier spectral_surface_albedo – Data product descriptor 20230623 – Data collection date (YYYYMMDD) File Format All files are in NetCDF format and conform to the CF-1.8 standard. Each file includes the following key variables: surface_albedo — Spectral surface albedo derived from the ratio of upwelling and downwelling irradiance. Unit: 1. downwelling_hemispheric_irradiance — Global downwelling irradiance from MFRSR. Unit: W m-2 nm-1. upwelling_hemispheric_irradiance — Upwelling irradiance from MFR. Unit: W m-2 nm-1. downwelling_hemispheric_irradiance_1625nm — Relative downwelling irradiance at 1625 nm. Unit: 1. upwelling_hemispheric_irradiance_1625nm — Relative upwelling irradiance at 1625 nm. Unit: 1. solar_zenith_angle — Solar zenith angle in degrees. solar_azimuth_angle — Solar azimuth angle in degrees. channel_wavelength_mfr — MFR channel central wavelengths in nanometers. channel_wavelength_mfrsr — MFRSR channel central wavelengths in nanometers.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date 2025-11-25T13:10:34Z
    Metadata Created Date July 1, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2025
    Reference Date(s) June 24, 2025 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date 2025-11-25T13:10:34Z
    Metadata Created Date July 1, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2025
    Reference Date(s) June 24, 2025 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0305473
    Access Constraints Cite as: Telg, Hagen; Sedlar, Joseph; Riihimaki, Laura; Soldo, Logan; Stierle, Scott; Hall, Emiel; Hodges, Gary; Lantz, Kathleen; Ballard, Brad (2025). SPLASH Field Study; Spectral Surface Albedo Observations from NOAA GML/GRAD and CIRES at Kettle Ponds (CKP) (NCEI Accession 0305473). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/0ftc-he39. Accessed [date]., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -106.973006
    Bbox North Lat 38.942005
    Bbox South Lat 38.942005
    Bbox West Long -106.973006
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Preview graphic
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:0305473
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 44e8f561-a83a-47d8-b1ba-f9b6e01d33d7
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Point", "coordinates": [-106.973006, 38.942005]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2021-12-20
    Temporal Extent End 2023-08-15

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.