Feasibility study of miniature near-infrared spectrometer for the measurement of solar irradiance within Arctic snow-cover sea ice

The extremely low temperature,high humidity and limited power supply pose considerable challenges when using spectrometers within the Arctic sea ice.The feasibility of using a miniature low-power near-infrared spectrometer module to measure solar radiation in Arctic sea ice environments was investigated in this study.Temperature and integration time dependences of the spectrometer module were examined over the entire target operating range of–50°C to 30°C,well below the specified operating range of this spectrometer.Using these observations,a dark output prediction model was developed to represent dark output as a function of temperature and integration time.Temperature-induced biases in the saturation output and linear operating range of the spectrometer were also determined.Temperature and integration time dependences of the signal output were evaluated.Two signal output correction models were developed and compared,to convert the signal output at any temperature within the operating temperature range and integration time to that measured at the reference temperature and integration time.The overall performance of the spectrometer was evaluated by integrating it into a refined fiber optic spectrometry system and measuring solar irradiance distribution in the ice cover with thickness of 1.85 m in the Arctic during the 9th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition.The general shape of the measured solar irradiance above the snow surface agreed well with that measured by other commercial oceanographic spectroradiometers.The measured optical properties of the sea ice were generally comparable to those of similar ice measured using other instruments.This approach provides a general framework for assessing the feasibility of using spectrometers for applications in cold environments.

Measuring solar irradiance profiles in the Arctic sea ice using fiber optic spectrometry via inclined holes

An irradiance profile measurement approach and profiling system were developed to measure the solar irradiance profile of the Arctic sea ice using fiber optic spectrometry.The approach involved using a miniature spectrometer to sense light signals collected and transmitted from a fiber probe.The fiber probe was small,and could thus move freely in inclined bore holes drilled in sea ice with its optical entrance pointing upward.The input-output relationship of the system was analyzed and built.Influence factors that determined the system output were analyzed.A correctional system output approach was proposed to correct the influence of these factors,and to obtain the solar irradiance profile based on the measurements outputted by this system.The overall performance of the system was examined in two ice floes in the Arctic during the 9th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition.The measured solar irradiance profiles were in good agreement with those obtained using other commercially available oceanographic radiometers.The derived apparent optical properties of sea ice were comparable to those of similar sea ice measured by other optical instruments.