Metrological support for climatic time series of satellite radiometric data

A necessary condition for accumulating fundamental climate data records is the use of observation instruments whose stability and accuracy are sufficiently high for climate monitoring purposes; the number of instruments and their distribution in space should be sufficient for measurements with no spatial or temporal gaps. The continuous acquirement of data over time intervals of several decades can only be possible under the condition of simultaneous application of instruments produced by different manufacturers and installed on different platforms belonging to one or several countries. The design of standard sources for pre-flight calibrations and in-flight monitoring of instruments has to meet the most stringent requirements for the accuracy of absolute radiometric measurements and stability of all instruments. This means that the radiometric scales should be stable, accurate, and uniform. Current technologies cannot ensure the high requirements for stability and compatibility of radiometric scales: 0.1% per decade within the 0.3 - 3 mu m band and 0.01 K per decade within the 3 - 25 mu m band. It is suggested that this task can be aided through the use of the pure metals or eutectic alloy phase transition phenomenon that always occur at the same temperature. Such devices can be used for pre-flight calibrations and for on-board monitoring of the stability of radiometric instruments. Results of previous studies of blackbody models that incorporate phase transition phenomenon are quite promising. A study of the phase transition of some materials in small cells was conducted for future application in onboard monitoring devices and its results are positive and allow us to begin preparations for similar experiments in space.