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 Test Facility
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.
Field calibrator at Lampedusa
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.

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
CUCF Collaborations

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

Cal Lab Photo
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
TMTF photo
TMTF photo2

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

High Altitude Observatory

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.

Central UV Calibration Facility Personnel