Global Radiation and Aerosols - NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Source: https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/calfacil
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:34
Global Radiation and Aerosols - NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
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.
Global Monitoring Laboratory
Central UV Calibration Facility
The Central UV Calibration Facility became operational in 1997 as a joint project between NOAA and NIST.
Its mission is to provide highly accurate and long-term
repeatable calibrations and characterizations of UV monitoring instruments.
For more information, please contact
Charles Wilson
The Table Mountain Field Test Facility, Boulder, Colorado
Central UV Calibration Facility Laboratory Systems/Services
The Central UV Calibration Facility has developed dedicated measurement systems for performing
various types of services:
Vertical or horizontal secondary standards of irradiance.
Laboratory irradiance calibration.
Angular response measurements.
Spectral response measurements.
Field calibrations of spectral instruments.
Slit scattering/stray light measurements for spectroradiometers and spectrographs.
UV spectroradiometer intercomparisons.
Calibrating the Brewer spectroradiometer at Lampedusa, Italy
Central UV Calibration Facility Collaborations
The CUCF currently has several international and university affiliations,
as well as close collaborations with the following institutions and agencies:
Please note that external links will open in a new browser window. These
sites are managed by their respective agencies, and different privacy and
security policies apply.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SURFRAD
National Science Foundation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
WMO UV Radiation Site
Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia el'Ambiente (ENEA) - Italy
New Zealand/CMDL
Argentina
Charles Wilson:
U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) sub-panel on UV radiation
Council of Optical Radiation Measurements (CORM)
Rocky Mountain Optical Society of America (RMOSA)
Kathleen Lantz:
World Meteorological Organization UV sub-panel on UV instrumentation
Central UV Calibration Facility: The Calibration Laboratory
The Calibration Laboratory has several custom-built, task-specific systems for
performing calibrations and characterization measurements of solar UV monitoring instruments. Each year, over 100 instruments are calibrated
in the laboratory. Additionally, many instruments are calibrated in the field using
the portable field calibrator developed by CUCF. The Calibration Laboratory's systems include:
Irradiance scale transfer system
UV spectral responsivity measurement system
Angular response measurement system
Absolute spectral irradiance calibration
Portable field calibrator
Irradiance scale transfer system
Central UV Calibration Facility: The Table Mountain Test Facility
The Table Mountain Test Facility, located about 10 km north of Boulder, is
home to several UV instruments and provides a useful testbed for intercomparisons.
The annual spectroradiometer comparisons hosted by CUCF occur at the Table Mountain Test Facility.
TMTF Location Information:
Latitude: 40.125° N
Longitude: 105.237° W
Elevation: 5541.3 ft, 1689 m
Central UV Calibration Facility: High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) serves as a pristine site for high altitude
science investigations. A Brewer Mark IV spectroradiometer is currently located at the
Observatory as part of the EPA's UV Monitoring Network.
HAO Location Information:
Latitude: 40.0317 deg
Longitude: 105.5331 deg
Elevation: 9500 ft, 2895.6 m
Central UV Calibration Facility Accomplishments
Since its establishment in 1997, the Central UV Calibration Facility has developed
state-of-the-art hardware and procedures to transfer NIST standards to UV monitoring
instruments in the lab or field.
Conducted
2003 North American UV Radiometer Intercomparison
Hosted
3rd Front Range UV & Ozone Workshop,
June 2002
Completed field site visit to Lampedusa, Italy to calibrate Brewer #123 and recalibrate ENEA irradiance standards
Verified the CUCF's horizontal irradiance scale
Completed latest UV calibrations for the U.S Department of Agriculture monitoring network
Participated in U.S. Global Change Research Program UV sub-panel meeting, July 2002
Atmospheric Modeling of Radiation Experiment (AMORE)
Central UV Calibration Facility Personnel
Kathy Lantz
- Research Scientist
Charles Wilson
- Optical Engineer
2 Student Programmers
Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
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.
Global Monitoring Laboratory
Central UV Calibration Facility
The Central UV Calibration Facility became operational in 1997 as a joint project between NOAA and NIST.
Its mission is to provide highly accurate and long-term
repeatable calibrations and characterizations of UV monitoring instruments.
For more information, please contact
Charles Wilson
The Table Mountain Field Test Facility, Boulder, Colorado
Central UV Calibration Facility Laboratory Systems/Services
The Central UV Calibration Facility has developed dedicated measurement systems for performing
various types of services:
Vertical or horizontal secondary standards of irradiance.
Laboratory irradiance calibration.
Angular response measurements.
Spectral response measurements.
Field calibrations of spectral instruments.
Slit scattering/stray light measurements for spectroradiometers and spectrographs.
UV spectroradiometer intercomparisons.
Calibrating the Brewer spectroradiometer at Lampedusa, Italy
Central UV Calibration Facility Collaborations
The CUCF currently has several international and university affiliations,
as well as close collaborations with the following institutions and agencies:
Please note that external links will open in a new browser window. These
sites are managed by their respective agencies, and different privacy and
security policies apply.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SURFRAD
National Science Foundation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
WMO UV Radiation Site
Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia el'Ambiente (ENEA) - Italy
New Zealand/CMDL
Argentina
Charles Wilson:
U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) sub-panel on UV radiation
Council of Optical Radiation Measurements (CORM)
Rocky Mountain Optical Society of America (RMOSA)
Kathleen Lantz:
World Meteorological Organization UV sub-panel on UV instrumentation
Central UV Calibration Facility: The Calibration Laboratory
The Calibration Laboratory has several custom-built, task-specific systems for
performing calibrations and characterization measurements of solar UV monitoring instruments. Each year, over 100 instruments are calibrated
in the laboratory. Additionally, many instruments are calibrated in the field using
the portable field calibrator developed by CUCF. The Calibration Laboratory's systems include:
Irradiance scale transfer system
UV spectral responsivity measurement system
Angular response measurement system
Absolute spectral irradiance calibration
Portable field calibrator
Irradiance scale transfer system
Central UV Calibration Facility: The Table Mountain Test Facility
The Table Mountain Test Facility, located about 10 km north of Boulder, is
home to several UV instruments and provides a useful testbed for intercomparisons.
The annual spectroradiometer comparisons hosted by CUCF occur at the Table Mountain Test Facility.
TMTF Location Information:
Latitude: 40.125° N
Longitude: 105.237° W
Elevation: 5541.3 ft, 1689 m
Central UV Calibration Facility: High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) serves as a pristine site for high altitude
science investigations. A Brewer Mark IV spectroradiometer is currently located at the
Observatory as part of the EPA's UV Monitoring Network.
HAO Location Information:
Latitude: 40.0317 deg
Longitude: 105.5331 deg
Elevation: 9500 ft, 2895.6 m
Central UV Calibration Facility Accomplishments
Since its establishment in 1997, the Central UV Calibration Facility has developed
state-of-the-art hardware and procedures to transfer NIST standards to UV monitoring
instruments in the lab or field.
Conducted
2003 North American UV Radiometer Intercomparison
Hosted
3rd Front Range UV & Ozone Workshop,
June 2002
Completed field site visit to Lampedusa, Italy to calibrate Brewer #123 and recalibrate ENEA irradiance standards
Verified the CUCF's horizontal irradiance scale
Completed latest UV calibrations for the U.S Department of Agriculture monitoring network
Participated in U.S. Global Change Research Program UV sub-panel meeting, July 2002
Atmospheric Modeling of Radiation Experiment (AMORE)
Central UV Calibration Facility Personnel
Kathy Lantz
- Research Scientist
Charles Wilson
- Optical Engineer
2 Student Programmers