Reducing cloud contamination in AOD measurements

Abstract. We propose a new cloud screening method for sun photometry that is designed to effectively filter thin clouds. Our method is based on a k-nearest neighbour algorithm instead of scanning timeseries of aerosol optical depth. Using ten years of data from a precision filter radiometer in Innsbruck, we compare our new method and the currently employed screening technique. We exemplify the performance of the two routines in different cloud conditions. While both algorithms agree on the classification of a datapoint as clear or cloudy in a majority of the cases, the new routine is found to be more effective in flagging thin clouds. We conclude that this simple method can serve as a valid alternative for cloud detection, and discuss the generalizability to other observation sites.