Sulfate-coated dust particles in the free troposphere over Japan

Airborne aerosol collections were performed over Wakasa bay (36°00′N, 135°30′E) in March and Kumano open sea (34°00′N, 136°50′E) and Seto (35°10′N, 137°10′E) in July 2001 at altitudes between 1.0 and 5.8 km. The particles were individually analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Relatively large mineral-dust (mostly clay) particles were abundant in the March samples. They also dominated in July in the mid-troposphere higher than 4 km altitude, whereas sea salt and ammonium sulfate were more abundant at lower altitudes. Ca-coated grid samples show many traces of aqueous sulfate droplets. The proportions of former sulfate droplets to the total collected particles apparently increased with increasing relative humidity at the time of sampling. TEM analysis revealed that a significant fraction of these former droplets enclose mineral-dust particles as well as sea salt, soot, and fly ash. Some enclose mixtures of mineral-dust, sea-salt, soot, and fly ash particles. The results provide evidence that mineral dust from the Asian continent could acquire coatings of sulfate while being transported in the free troposphere. The mineral-dust particles probably acquired the sulfate coatings either through heterogeneous uptake of gaseous SO₂ and subsequent oxidation or through coagulation with cloud or fog droplets. The presence of the mixed particles in sulfate droplets also indicates that aggregation of particles of different origins occurred through cloud processing. Such sulfate-coated dust particles would affect cloud formation, precipitation, and chemistry of the free troposphere.     

Characteristics and simulation of lightning current waveforms during one artificially triggered lightning

In the summer of 2005, one negative lightning flash was artificially triggered in Shandong Province (117°48′ E, 37°42′N), middle latitude region of eastern China. The flash included 10 return strokes, and the geometric mean value of the current peak was 11.9 kA (the average value was 12.6 kA) with a maximum of 21.0 kA and a minimum of 6.6 kA, similar to the subsequent return strokes in natural lightning. The geometric mean value of half peak width was 39 μs (the average value was 40 μs), which was much larger than the usual result. Based on the Diendorfer and Uman (DU) model, the return-stroke current waveforms and charge distribution along the lightning channel are discussed. The simulated current waveforms, being divided into breakdown and corona current components, are in agreement with the optical measurements when the two different discharge time constants are properly chosen.     

Supercooled drizzle formed by condensation–coalescence in the mid-winter season of the Canadian Arctic

Supercooled drizzle (freezing drizzle) was observed at Inuvik, N.W.T., Canada (68°22′N, 133°42′W) on December 20, 21 and 27, 1995. Meteorological conditions in which the supercooled drizzle could form under low temperatures (colder than −20°C) in the mid-winter season of the Canadian Arctic were examined from the sounding data and data measured by a passive microwave radiometer at ground level. The following results were obtained. (1) Supercooled drizzle fell to the ground with ice pellets and frozen drops on snow crystals. (2) The maximum size of supercooled drizzle particles increased as the depth of cloud layer saturated with respect to water increased. (3) Because a layer of air temperature higher than 0°C was not detected from the sounding data at Inuvik, melting of snow particles was impossible. It was concluded, therefore, that supercooled drizzle was formed by the condensation–coalescence process below freezing temperature.     

Aerosol over the Southern Ocean

In a first attempt to assess a proposed climatic change feedback process involving cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and cloud albedo, CCN concentrations N as a function of supersaturation S were measured on a voyage from latitude 43 to 65°S in October–November 1988. The usual relationship N=CS^k, with k=0.5 and C a constant was a fair apprraximation for S in the range 0.3–0.7% implying that CCN concentrations should largely determine cloud drop concentrations and hence albedo for clouds with S in that range. South of latitude 50°S and at smaller S,k was 1 or larger on average, which would lead to reduced dependence of albedo on CCN for the relevant clouds. N varied very widely for separations of the order of 100 km or 6 hours in time, particularly when the sea was partly ice-covered, suggesting strong local influences. During a large increase in N 60°S, unaccompanied by an increase in condensation nuclei (CN), cloud drops grew more rapidly than usual. In a subsidiary experiment particles were collected and examined by transmission electron microscopy. For particles less than 0.2 μm diameter, 80–90% appeared to consist of ammonium sulfate, the remainder being sea salt or an unknown substance which was more liquid and heat-resistant. Dialysis showed that the sulfate particles contained a few percent of insoluble material. Particles which formed cloud drops in vapours other water, were also studied. Comparison of these and water CCN and the rates of droplet suggested that the water insoluble portion of the particles was ethanol-soluble and surface-active. CN concentrations decreased by a factor of about 2 between 43 and 65°S, a change closely paralleled by ethanol CCN concentrations.     

The chemical composition of rainwater over Büyükçekmece Lake, Istanbul

In the present study, the precipitation near Büyükçekmece Lake, which is one of the important drinking water sources of Istanbul city, was studied during October 2001–July 2002. Seventy-nine bulk precipitation samples were collected at two sampling stations near the Lake (41°2′35″N, 28°35′25″E and 41°5′30″N, 28°37′7″E). The study comprised the determination of H⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, NH₄⁺, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Al, Ba, Fe, Cu and Mn concentrations in bulk deposition rain event samples. The average volume-weighted pH value was found to be 4.81, which points out that the rain is slightly acidic. High sulfate concentrations were observed together with high H⁺ ion values. Sulfur emissions were the major cause for the observed high hydrogen ion levels. On the basis of factor analysis and correlation matrix analysis, it has been found that in this region, acid neutralization is brought about by calcium rather than the ammonium ion. The varimax rotated factor analysis grouped the variables into four factors, which are crustal, marine and two anthropogenic sources.     

Observational study of surface ozone at an urban site in East China

In this study, we present the observational data of near surface ozone and some meteorological parameters during 2004, at an urban site (36°42′ N, 117°08′ E, 34.5 m a.s.l.) of Jinan, China. Hourly ozone concentrations exceeding the standard value of China, 100 ppbv, were observed for 65 h (in 23 days) from April to October, and values exceeding US NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standard) for 1 h ozone, 120 ppbv, were observed for 15 h (in 7 days) from late May to early July. Ozone formation presented the phenomenon of “weekend effect”, especially in summer. Monthly variation of ozone coincided with temperature except for July and August. The low ozone levels in July and August may be due to the short sunshine duration and much rainfall during this period. Among these meteorological parameters, daily averaged ozone shows a significant correlation with temperature (r = 0.66) in the year and with relative humidity (r = − 0.75) in summer. Throughout the year, high ozone concentrations were mainly associated with the wind from 180 to 247.5°, while high ozone concentration seemed to have no obvious correlation with a given wind direction in summer. An anomalous nocturnal high ozone episode during 23–25 May 2004 was investigated. Growth fractions of ozone during the nighttime episode were 62.2% and 71.1% for 23 and 24 May, respectively. Synoptic analysis shows that favorable synoptic condition had presumably elevated the background ozone level in this region. Backward trajectory analysis shows that the increase of ozone concentration and the relatively constant high ozone concentrations during the night of May 23 might originate from the transport of ozone rich air mass above boundary layer. Transport of ozone from Yangtze Delta and East Central China might be a significant process for the high ozone level during night May 24 at Jinan.     

Major ionic composition of precipitation in the Nam Co region, Central Tibetan Plateau

A total of 48 precipitation samples have been collected from individual precipitation events at the Nam Co Monitoring and Research Station for Multisphere Interactions (Nam Co Station, 30°47′N, 90°58′E; 4730 m a.s.l) located in the central Tibetan Plateau from August 2005 to August 2006. All samples were analyzed for major cations (NH₄⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) and anions (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻), conductivity and pH. Precipitation pH values ranged from 6.03 to 7.38 with an average value of 6.59. The high pH is due to large inputs of crustal aerosols in the atmosphere, which contain a large fraction of carbonate. Ca²⁺ is the dominant cation in precipitation with an average value of 65.58 μeq L^− 1 (4.91–301.41 μeq L^− 1), accounting for 54% of the total cations in precipitation. HCO₃⁻ is the predominant anion, accounting for 62% of the total anions. When compared with data from a snow pit in the Zhadang Glacier 50 km away (5800 m a.s.l), major ion concentration in precipitation at the Nam Co Station is much higher due to local aerosol inputs. Correlation and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis indicate that regional crustal aerosols and species from combustion emissions of residents are the major sources for these ions, lake salt aerosols from the Nam Co nearby and regional mineral aerosols from dry lake sediments are secondary sources, and sea salt contribution is the least due to the long distance transport.     

Numerical simulation of the relationship between electrification and microphysics in the prelightning stage of thunderstorms

To further investigate the influence of cloud base temperature, updraft velocity and precipitation particle constitution on cloud electrification, five thunderstorms in various regions of China were simulated by using the three-dimensional compressible hailstorm numerical model including inductive and non-inductive charging mechanisms. The results indicate that changes of cloud base temperature have an influence on the initial electrification. Comparison of the above cases shows that in the case of warm cloud base and moderate updraft velocity (< 20 m s^{−  1}), active electrification occurred below the − 10 °C level before moving upward to the − 20 °C level. In contrast, when cloud base is cold and updraft velocity is intensive, the main charging region is at the − 20 °C or even higher level. In that case, the vertical extent of the main negative charge region becomes larger with the increase of cloud base temperature. Apart from the main dipolar or tripolar charge structure, some smaller charge regions with relatively high values of charge density may also appear. Frozen drops, originating mainly from supercooled raindrops, mainly get electrified through charging interactions with snow at or below the − 20 °C level. They are responsible for the negative charge region near the melting level at the initial stage of precipitation if there is a large supercooled raindrop content. Non-inductive charging during hail-snow collisions is rather weak, resulting in the charge density on hail of no more than − 0.01 nC m^− 3.     

Latent ice-forming nuclei in the Pacific Northwest

Some cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) constitute a reservoir of latent ice-forming nuclei (IFN) active by condensation-followed-by-freezing and by sorption. Evaporated droplets occasionally left aerosol particles that acted as sorption IFN at temperatures as high as −5°C and water vapor supersaturation over ice of 0.2%. The newly formed aerosol particles (residues of evaporated droplets) are all mixed particles. The discovery of IFN produced from CCN promotes new insights into the process of ice formation in clouds; in an evaporating parcel of a cloud the rate of formation of ice particles will be enhanced by continuous production of IFN. Aerosol particles left behind after evaporation of a cloud may provide a source of IFN for formation of some of the cirrus clouds.     

Parameterisation of surface radiation flux at an Antarctic site

During the Antarctic summer 1994/95 the values of downward and upward flux densities of both solar and terrestrial radiation were recorded at 1200 m for a period of 1 month on the Reeves Nevè Glacier (lat 74°39′S, long 161°35′E), near the Italian base of Terra Nova Bay. The relations proposed by Swinbank [Swinbank, W.C., 1963. Long-wave radiation from clear skies. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. 89, 339–348], Idso and Jackson [Idso, S.B., Jackson, R.D., 1969. Thermal radiation from the atmosphere. J. Geophys. Res. 74, 5397–5403] and Deacon [Deacon, E.L., 1970. The derivation of Swinbank's long-wave radiation formula. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. 96, 313–319] associating the long-wave atmospheric radiation flux only to the air temperature at screen level were tested in extreme Antarctic climatological condition. A relation between the long-wave radiation flux and both screen air temperature and cloud cover fraction in accordance to the height of the cloud base was defined using the Kasten and Czeplak relationship that relates the solar radiation flux and the cloud cover index. The study of the incoming short-wave radiation flux from the clear sky and that reflected by the surrounding snow cover allowed for highlighting the role of surface geometry on the albedo measurements.     

The characteristics of cloud-to-ground lightning activity in hailstorms over northern China

The characteristics of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning for ten hailstorms in Shandong Province of China were analyzed statistically. It is found that the hailstorms in this study present dominant positive CG flashes during periods of falling hail. One specific hailstorm on 16 June 2006 was studied in detail using the data from a CG lightning location network, Doppler radar and cloud images. Comparison between the brightness temperature of cloud-top and CG flash locations indicated that most flashes occurred in the region with temperatures lower than − 40 °C, while dense positive CG flashes occurred in the range between − 40 °C and − 50 °C. Negative CG flashes occurred mostly in the relative weak radar echo region, and positive CG flashes were distributed in the strong echo region especially with a large gradient of echo intensity. CG flashes tended to occur in the cloud region with reflectivity between 25 dBZ and 35 dBZ. Comparison between the wind field retrieved from Doppler radar and the location of CG flashes indicated that the flashes were located in the convergent region at lower to middle levels.     

The climate of the coast and fog zone in the Tarapacá Region, Atacama Desert, Chile

In the Atacama Desert, the narrow littoral plain and the adjacent mountain range have a unique climate. This area is locally called the “coastal desert with abundant cloudiness”, and extends from the coastline up to an elevation of 1000 m. The climate is designated as being BWn according to Köppen's Climate Classification as adapted for Chile. In the original classification the acronym (Bn) is used for foggy environments. Toward the east a “normal desert” climate (BW) is found. This is known as one of the most extreme deserts of the world. In the BWn areas there are meteorological differences between low and high elevation zones. The climate of the coastal plains and the mountains is described in this paper in order to show that there is an area where the climate differs from those classified as BWn and BW in the Chilean Climate Classification. This area is located between 650 and 1200 m a.s.l. and contains several fog oases or lomas vegetation, rich in biodiversity and endemism.The weather is warmer near sea level, with an annual average temperature of 18 °C. At high elevation sites like Alto Patache, the temperature decreases at a rate of 0.7 °C for every 100-m increase in altitude. The average annual minimum temperature often approaches 1 °C in winter, while the mean annual temperature range is significant (8.3 °C in Los Cóndores). The mean monthly relative humidity in Alto Patache is over 80%, except during the summer months. During autumn, winter and spring high elevation fog is present in the study area at altitudes ranging from 650 m up to 1060 m, giving annual water yields of 0.8 to 7 L m^− 2 day^− 1. If vegetation is used as an indicator, the foggy zone lies between 650 m a.s.l. and 1200 m a.s.l. About 70% of the mountain range experiences the foggy climate, as opposed to the coastal plains that are characterized by a cloudy climate.     

A diagnostic calculation of the circulation in the upper and middle layers of the Luzon Strait and the northern South China Sea during March 1992

Wind data from NCEP and hydrographic data obtained during 8–27 March 1992 have been used to compute circulation in the Luzon Strait and the northern South China Sea using three-dimensional diagnostic models with a modified inverse method. Numerical results are as follows: the main Kuroshio is located above 800 m levels. It has two intrusive branches of the Kuroshio in the areas above 400 m. One part intrudes anti-cyclonically northwestward, then flows through the area above 200 m southwest of Taiwan and into the Taiwan Strait. The other part intrudes westward and flows cyclonically in the areas north of the cyclonic eddies, then flows southward through the southern boundary of the region. The net westward volume transport (VT) through Section at 120°15′E between Luzon Island and Taiwan Island is about 3.0 Sv, net northward VT through northern boundaries into the Taiwan Strait is about 1.4 Sv and net southward VT through southern boundaries is about 1.6 Sv, which finally flows into the Karimata and Mindoro Straits. In the areas above 400 m east of 117°15′E, the circulation is mainly dominated by the basin-scale cyclonic gyre, which consists of two cyclonic eddies. However, in the areas below 400 m east of 119°00′E, the circulation is mainly dominated by basin-scale anti-cyclonic gyre. The joint effect of baroclinity and relief and interaction between wind stress and relief are important in different area respectively for the pattern of the depth-averaged flow across contours of fH⁻¹.     

The ice nucleating ability of pollen: Part III: New laboratory studies in immersion and contact freezing modes including more pollen types

Based on earlier experimental studies, the ice nucleating abilities of further pollen types were investigated in the immersion and contact freezing modes. The studies were carried out at the Mainz vertical wind tunnel with freely floating supercooled droplets down to − 28 °C. The pollen had diameters between 26 and 28 μm and correspondingly low sink velocities around 2.5 cm s^{− 1}. The radii of the studied drops were calculated from the recorded wind velocity and for both freezing modes the radii of the observed droplets varied between 315 and 380 μm. Immersion freezing experiments were conducted with pollen particles added to the droplets while in contact freezing experiments supercooled droplets were subjected to a burst of pollen particles. The median freezing temperatures found in the immersion freezing mode were: − 13.5 °C (alder), − 21.5 °C (lombardy poplar), − 21.0 °C (redtop grass) and − 19.8 °C (kentucky blue). The median freezing temperatures in the contact freezing mode were found as: − 12.6 °C (alder), − 17.9 °C (lombardy poplar), − 18.7 °C (redtop grass) and − 16.1 °C (kentucky blue). The results show that the ice nucleating ability of pollen is not restricted to single pollen types but seems to be a general pollen property.     

Study of background aerosols in the Antarctic troposphere

Systematic year-round observations of submicron aerosols were carried out at Syowa Station (69°00'S, 39°35'E) in 1978. On the basis of the results of these observations, it is concluded that two types of aerosols originating from different sources are present in the Antarctic croposphere. With the intrusion of maritime air, mostly in the polar night months, sea salt particles and ammonium sulfate particles contained originally in the clean maritime air are dominant. The size distribution of such aerosols is monomodal, having a single mode at around 0.03 m in radii. On the other hand, in the sunlit months, sulfuric acid droplets are predominant and the size distribution is bimodal, having an additional mode at around 0.005 m in radii. Those sulfuric acid particles seem to be formed photochemically within a specific layer in the mid to lower troposphere over Antarctica. Most Antarctic submicron particles are of tropospheric origin, not of stratospheric nor anthropogenic origin.     

Analysis of microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale electric field pulses produced by cloud and ground lightning discharges

We examined microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale pulses in electric field records of cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning discharges acquired in summer 2006, in Gainesville, Florida. A total of 12 cloud and 12 ground flashes were analyzed in detail, with the electric field record length being 96 or 200 ms and sampling interval being 4 or 10 ns. The majority of pulses in both cloud and ground discharges analyzed in this study were associated with the initial breakdown process and were relatively small in amplitude and duration. The typical durations were an order of magnitude smaller than tens of microseconds characteristic of “classical” preliminary breakdown pulses. We estimated that 26% of the pulses in the 12 cloud discharges and 22% of the pulses in the 12 cloud-to-ground discharges had total durations less that 1 µs.     

Particulate contribution to extinction of visible radiation: Pollution, haze, and fog

A data set acquired by eight particle-dedicated instruments set up on the SIRTA (Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique, which is French for Instrumented Site for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Research) during the ParisFog field campaign are exploited to document microphysical properties of particles contributing to extinction of visible radiation in variable situations. The study focuses on a 48-hour period when atmospheric conditions are highly variable: relative humidity changes between 50 and 100%, visibility ranges between 65 and 35 000 m, the site is either downwind the Paris area either under maritime influence. A dense and homogeneous fog formed during the night by radiative cooling. In 6 h, visibility decreased down from 30 000 m in the clear-sky regime to 65 m within the fog, because of advected urban pollution (factor 3 to 4 in visibility reduction), aerosol hydration (factor 20) and aerosol activation (factor 6). Computations of aerosol optical properties, based on Mie theory, show that extinction in clear-sky regime is due equally to the ultrafine modes and to the accumulation mode. Extinction by haze is due to hydrated aerosol particles distributed in the accumulation mode, defined by a geometric mean diameter of 0.6 μm and a geometric standard deviation of 1.4. These hydrated aerosol particles still contribute by 20 ± 10% to extinction in the fog. The complementary extinction is due to fog droplets distributed around the geometric mean diameter of 3.2 μm with a geometric standard deviation of 1.5 during the first fog development stage. The study also shows that the experimental set-up could not count all fog droplets during the second and third fog development stages.     

Role of the volatile fraction of submicron marine aerosol on its hygroscopic properties

The hygroscopic growth factor (HGF) of 85 nm and 20 nm marine aerosol particles was measured during January 2006 for a three-week period within the frame of the EU FP6 project MAP (Marine Aerosol Production) winter campaign at the coastal site of Mace Head, using the TDMA technique. The results are compared to aerosol particles produced in a simulation tank by bubbling air through sea water sampled near the station, and through synthetic sea water (inorganic salts). This simulation is assimilated to primary production. Aitken and mode particles (20 nm) and accumulation mode particles (85 nm) both show HGF of 1.92 and 2.01 for particles generated through bubbling in natural and artificial sea water respectively. In the Aitken mode, the marine particles sampled in the atmosphere shows a monomodal HGF slightly lower than the one measured for sea salt particles artificially produced by bubble bursting in natural sea water (HGF = 1.83). This is also the case for the more hygroscopic mode of accumulation mode particles. In addition, the HGF of 85 nm particles observed in the atmosphere during clean marine sectors exhibits half of its population with a 1.4 HGF. An external mixture of the accumulation mode marine particles indicates a secondary source of this size of particles, a partial processing during transport, or an inhomogeneity of the sea water composition. A gentle 90 °C thermo-desorption results in a significant decrease of the number fraction of moderately hygroscopic (HGF = 1.4) particles in the accumulation mode to the benefit of the seasalt mode, pointing to the presence of semi-volatile compounds with pronounced hydrophobic properties. The thermo-desorption has no effect on the HGF of bubble generated aerosols, neither for synthetic or natural sea water, nor on the atmospheric Aitken mode, indicating that these hydrophobic compounds are secondarily integrated in the particulate phase. No difference between night and day samples is observed on the natural marine aerosols regarding hygroscopicity, but a more pronounced sensitivity to volatilization of the 1.4 HGF mode in the accumulation mode is observed during the day.     

Optical observations of transient luminous events associated with winter thunderstorms near the coast of Israel

We report the results of two observation campaigns conducted during the Northern Hemisphere winters of 2005–6 and 2006–7 aiming to detect transient luminous events (TLEs) above winter thunderstorms in the vicinity of Israel and the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. In 10 out of 31 different observation nights we detected 66 events: 56 sprites and 10 Elves. The detection ranges varied from 250 to 450 km. Sprites were found to be produced by active cells with a vertical dimension of 5–9 km and cloud top temperature ~ − 40 °C, embedded in a much larger matrix of stratiform precipitating cloudiness. This configuration closely resembles the conditions for winter sprites in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Synchronized with the optical observations, ELF data were recorded at two observation stations in Israel and Hungary in order to qualify and quantify parameters of the parent lightning discharge associated with the TLEs. These stations are located 500 km and 2100 km respectively from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, where most TLEs occur. Among the optically observed TLE events, we found that all the ELF signals were produced solely by positive cloud-to-ground flashes (+ CGs), most of which were recorded in Israel (88%) and Hungary (77%). Calculation of the Charge Moment Change showed average values of 1400 ± 600 C km, with some extreme events exceeding 3500 C km. The average time delay between the ELF transient of the parent + CG and the observed sprites was 55 ms, with shorter delays for column sprites (42 ± 34 ms) compared to carrot sprites (68 ± 34). Furthermore, based on the ELF data, there were no early identifiable precursors to TLE occurrence in the regional lightning activity. From the spatial formation of the observed columniform sprites, we propose that columniform sprites are sometimes arranged in a 3-dimensional circular pattern, thus mapping the instantaneous electric field in the mesosphere.     

Radiative energy partition and cloud radiative forcing at a Po valley site

Values of downward and upward flux densities of solar and terrestrial radiation were continuously recorded between 1 December 2001 and 30 November 2002 using a four-components radiometer at S. Pietro Capofiume (SPC) in northern Italy (44°39′N, 11°37′E, alt. 11 m a.m.s.l.), which is characterized by a weakly-reflective surface. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of clouds on surface radiation balance (SRB); the cloud fraction (N) has been retrieved through the inverted form of the parameterization proposed by Kasten and Czeplak [Solar Energy 24 (1980) 177] and cloud types estimated following the methodology of Duchon and O'Malley [J. Appl. Meteorol. 38 (1999) 132]. The cloud radiative forcing (CRF) was evaluated through the Bintanja and Van den Broeke [Int. J. Climatol. 16 (1996) 1281] formula and then associated with cloud type. Experimental results showed that during the measuring period the net shortwave (Sw) balance always decreased with increasing N, whereas the net longwave (Lw) balance increased in all seasons. The net radiation available at the surface decreased with increasing N in all seasons except in winter, where no significant dependency was detected.The analysis of the cloud radiative forcing indicates that all seasons were characterized by a net cooling of the surface except winter, where clouds seem to have no effects on the surface warming or cooling. Taking into account the dependence on solar radiation cycle, an intercomparison between the retrieved cloud types seems to indicate that the effect of stratus was a slight cooling whereas that of cumulus clouds was a stronger cooling of the surface. On the contrary, cirrus clouds seem to have slight warming effect on the surface.The annual trends of mean monthly values of shortwave and longwave radiation balances confirmed that the measurement site is characterized by a temperate climate. Moreover, in spite of the cooling effect of clouds, a monthly radiative energy surplus is available all year long for surface–atmosphere energy exchanges. The analysis is also instrumental for the detection of SRB variations.