Spectral radiance and sky luminance in Antarctica: a case study

Summary Sky luminance and spectral radiance has been characterised at Neumayer, Antarctica for selected situations during the austral summer 2003/04. Luminance has also been measured at Boulder, Colorado, USA in June 2003. The high reflectivity of the surface (albedo) in Antarctica, reaching values up to 100% in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible part of the solar spectrum due to snow cover, modifies the radiation field considerably when compared to mid-latitudes. A dependence of luminance and spectral radiance on solar zenith angle (SZA) and surface albedo has been identified. For snow and cloudless sky, the horizon luminance exceeds the zenith luminance by as much as a factor of 8.2 and 7.6 for a SZA of 86° and 48°, respectively. In contrast, over grass this factor amounts to 4.9 for a SZA of 86° and a factor of only 1.4 for a SZA of 48°. Thus, a snow surface with high albedo can enhance horizon brightening compared to grass by a factor of 1.7 for low sun at a SZA of 86° and by a factor of 5 for high sun at a SZA of 48°. For cloudy cases, zenith luminance and radiance exceed the cloudless value by a factor of 10 due to multiple scattering between the cloud base and high albedo surface. Measurements of spectral radiance show increased horizon brightening for increasing wavelengths and generally confirm the findings for luminance. Good agreement with model results is found for some cases; however there are also large deviations between measured and modelled values especially in the infrared. These deviations can only partly be explained by measurement uncertainties; to completely resolve the differences between model and measurement further studies need to be performed, which will require an improvement of modelling the spectral radiance. From the present study it can be concluded that a change in albedo conditions, which is predicted as a consequence of climate change, will significantly change the radiation conditions in polar regions as well.     

Urban albedo as a function of the urban structure — A two-dimensional numerical simulation

Urban albedo change as a function of urban geometrical structure has been examined by using a two-dimensional urban block-canyon array model. The complex multiple reflections of incident photons in the urban canyon are simulated by using a Monte-Carlo method. The photons are tracked until they leave the canyon or are completely absorbed. In the model, the direct and diffuse components of incident solar radiation are introduced and the specular and isotropic reflection characteristics are considered for the relevant urban surfaces. The result shows that the urban albedo decreases as the urban irregularity increases as indicated by the model experiment of Aida (1982). The dependence of albedo on the incident solar zenith angle observed in the experiment is also confirmed for various urban models.As an application, some actual urban structures in the Marunouchi area in Tokyo are examined. Urban planning for absorption and reflection of solar radiation in urban areas is also discussed based on the analysis of the change in albedo with canyon dimensions and solar zenith angle.     

Modelling daily global radiation at the forest floor

A simple model is developed which estimates daily global radiation at the floor of a non-homogeneous Eucalyptus forest. Model input parameters are easily derived from field measurements and consist of individual tree location, tree height, maximum canopy width and its corresponding height, height of the lowest branch and trunk thickness. In addition, the model requires values for global and diffuse irradiance in the open. The tree canopy is represented as a series of spheres containing leaves which are homogeneously spaced but are oriented in the vertical plane. This configuration closely approaches that of actual eucalyptus trees. A Monte-Carlo approach is used to estimate the albedo of the unit sphere as a function of solar zenith angle. At a given combination of solar zenith and azimuth angle, the model estimates the solar irradiance at a specific forest floor location.The model, when tested against pyranometer measurements, predicted daily solar irradiance with a correlation of 0.98 and a standard error of 0.98 MJ m^-2 day^-1. This good performance is attributed to the spatial averaging of the radiation fluxes over the entire day, and the relatively low sensitivity of the calculated solar irradiance to sphere albedo.     

Comparison between measured and modelled cloudless‐sky solar irradiances at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere

Abstract

Cloudless‐sky solar fluxes calculated by the radiative transfer algorithm used in the Canadian Climate Centre's general circulation climate model are compared with measurements of upwelling radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and downwelling radiation at the surface. The 12‐layer model partitions the solar spectrum into two broad wavebands (0.25–0.68 and 0.68–4.00 μm). The comparison utilized TOA fluxes estimated from Nimbus‐ 7 measurements and measured downwelling fluxes at the surface for Kalgoorlie, West Australia, and downwelling fluxes at the surface for Woodbridge, Ontario. Model estimates and measurements agreed to within experimental error for most solar zenith angles. Estimates improved, especially at Woodbridge, when aerosol effects were included. The mean bias error was less than 4% for surface irradiance and less than 6% for upwelling TOA irradiance, which produces a TOA albedo error of about 0.01.     

Improvement of surface albedo simulations over arid regions

To improve the simulation of the surface radiation budget and related thermal processes in arid regions, three sophisticated surface albedo schemes designed for such regions were incorporated into the Biosphere- Atmosphere Transfer Scheme （BATS）. Two of these schemes are functions of the solar zenith angle （SZA）, where the first one has one adjustable parameter defined as SZA1 scheme, and the second one has two empirical parameters defined as SZA2 scheme. The third albedo scheme is a function of solar angle and soil water that were developed based on arid-region observations from the Dunhuang field experiment （DHEX） （defined as DH scheme）. We evaluated the performance of the original and newly-incorporated albedo schemes within BATS using the in-situ data from the Oasis System Energy and Water Cycle Field Experiment that was carried out in JinTa, Gansu arid area （JTEX）. The results indicate that a control run by the original version of the BATS generates a constant albedo, while the SZA1 and SZA2 schemes basically can reproduce the observed diurnal cycle of surface albedo, although these two schemes still underestimate the albedo when SZA is high in the early morning and late afternoon, and overestimate it when SZA is low during noontime. The SZA2 scheme has a better overall performance than the SZA1 scheme. In addition, BATS with the DH scheme slightly improves the albedo simulation in magnitude as compared to that from the control run, but a diurnal cycle of albedo is not produced by this scheme. The SZA1 and SZA2 schemes significantly increase the surface absorbed solar radiation by nearly 70 W m^-2, which further raises the ground temperature by 6 K and the sensible heat flux by 35 W m^-2. The increased solar radiation, heat flux, and temperature are more consistent with the observations that those from the control run. However, a significant improvement in these three variables is not found in BATS with the DH scheme due to the neglect of the diurnal cycle of albedo. Further analysis indi     

Calculation of solar albedo and radiation equilibrium over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and analysis of their climatic features

1.IntroductionTopreciselyestimatethevaluesofalbedosatsurfaceandatmospherictop.surfacetotalradiationandearth--atmosphereoutgoinglongwaveradiationiscrucialtocalculatingradiationbalanceatsurfaceandatmospherictopandexploringoftheeffectoftheQXPatmosphericheatsourcesonatmosphericcirculations.Using1958--1960observationsofsurfacetotalradiation,albedoandsurfacemeteorologicalobservationsoverChina.ChenandGongetal.(1964.1965)investigated,throughanatmosphericradiationcalculationscheme.thedistributionchar…     

Dependence of global radiation on cloudiness and surface albedo in Tartu, Estonia

Summary ?The dependence of global and diffuse radiation on surface albedo due to multiple reflection of radiation between the surface and the atmosphere (base of clouds) is found on the basis of data obtained at the Tartu–T?ravere Actinometric Station over the period 1955–2000. It is found that the monthly totals of global radiation increase by up to 1.38–1.88 times, particularly in the winter half-year between November and March, when snow cover albedo may be high. A semi-empirical formula is derived for calculating with sufficient accuracy the monthly totals of global radiation, considering the amount of cloudiness and the surface albedo. In the time series of the monthly total by global radiation a downward trend occurs in winter months. A decrease in global radiation by up to 20% in the past 46 years can be explained primarily by a relatively high negative trend in the snow cover duration and surface albedo (up to − 0.24). As a result, days are growing darker, a new phenomenon associated with climate change, which undoubtedly affects human mood to some extent. Received November 8, 2001; revised January 24, 2002; accepted February 2, 2002     

Influence of Clouds on UV Irradiance at Ground Level and Backscattered Exittance

The influence of various cloud parameters and the interactions with the ground albedo and the solar zenith angle have been studied by means of model simulations. The radiative transfer model suitable for a cloudy atmosphere as well as for a clear atmosphere has been developed on the basis of the Discrete Ordinate Method. This study leads to a general understanding for cloudy atmospheres: in the presence of a uniform cloud, the cloud scattering is dominant to molecular and aerosol scattering, and it is also wavelength-independent; the ratio of transmitted irradiance in a cloudy atmosphere to that in the background clear atmosphere is independent of cloud height and solar zenith angle. That’s to say, the radiation downwelling out of a cloud is quite isotropic; it decreases approximately exponentially with the cloud optical depth at a rate related to the ground albedo; the reflected irradiance at the top of the atmosphere is dependent on cloud optical depth as well as on solar zenith angle, but not on ground albedo for clouds of not very thin optical depth.     

五道梁地区的辐射特征

本文分析了1986年中美联合考察期间五道梁站的地面辐射平衡的气候学特征。五道梁地区夏季直接太阳辐射强,空气洁净,大气透明度好。太阳辐射在大气中的削弱以分子散射和臭氧吸收为主。总辐射中以散射为主。光谱反射率中太阳短波反射率为0.13,太阳红外反射率为0.25,雪面上二者接近;反射率受土壤湿度影响明显,在太阳高度角较小时,各波段反射率有不同的变化趋势。地表比辐射率约为0.90。地表净辐射和地面热源强度大。太阳紫外辐射大,占总辐射的比例也大。     

青藏高原地区地气系统太阳辐射能收支的研究

本文利用1982年8月—1983年7月Nimbus-7的月平均行星反射率资料和根据卫星资料得到的地面总辐射、地表反射率的估算结果,分析了青藏高原地区地气系统(大气顶)的太阳辐射能收支和地表、大气对太阳辐射吸收的时空变化特征,给出了表征太阳辐射能收支的一些基本参数,讨论了以行星反射率为基本参数表征大气、地表对太阳辐射吸收的参数化方法。分析表明:过渡季节5月份的行星反射率极小值的出现对青藏高原地区太阳辐射能收支有重要调节作用;全年平均而言,青藏高原地区被地气系统反射和被大气、地表吸收的太阳辐射的比例为37:18:45。     

黑碳气溶胶辐射强迫全球分布的模拟研究

利用一个改进的辐射传输模式,结合全球气溶胶数据集（GADS）,计算晴空条件下冬夏两季黑碳气溶胶的直接辐射强迫在对流层顶和地面的全球分布。计算结果表明,与温室气体引起的整层大气都是正的辐射强迫不同,黑碳气溶胶的辐射强迫在对流层顶为正值,而在地面的辐射强迫却是负值。作者从理论上解释了造成这种结果的原因。对北半球冬季和夏季而言,在对流层顶黑碳气溶胶的全球辐射强迫的平均值分别为0.085W/m2和0.155 W/m2,在地面则分别为-0.37 W/m2和-0.63 W/m2。虽然气溶胶的辐射强迫主要依赖于其本身的光学性质和在大气中的浓度,太阳高度角和地表反照率对黑碳气溶胶的辐射强迫会产生很大的影响。研究指出:黑碳气溶胶在对流层顶正的辐射强迫和在地面负的辐射强迫的绝对值都随太阳天顶角的余弦和地表反照率的增加线性增大;地表反照率对黑碳气溶胶辐射强迫的强度和分布都有重要影响。黑碳气溶胶的辐射强迫分布具有明显的纬度变化特征,冬夏两季的大值区都位于30°N~90°N之间,表明人类活动是造成黑碳气溶胶辐射强迫的主要原因。     

Radiation Exchange Between Stratus Clouds and Polar Marine Surfaces

The radiative energy exchange between arctic sea-ice and stratiform clouds is studied by means of aircraft measurements and a two-stream radiation transfer model. The data have been obtained by flights of two identically instrumented aircraft during the Radiation and Eddy Flux Experiments REFLEX I in autumn 1991 and REFLEX II in winter 1993 over the arctic marginal ice zone of Fram Strait. The instrumental equipment comprised Eppley pyranometers and pyrgeometers, which measure the solar and terrestrial upwelling and downwelling hemispheric radiation flux densities, and a line-scan-camera on one aircraft to monitor the surface structure of the sea-ice. An empirical parametrization of the albedo of partly ice-covered ocean surfaces is obtained from the data, which describes the albedo increasing linearly with the concentration of the snow-covered sea-ice and with the cosine of the sun zenith angle at sun elevations below 10°. Cloud optical parameters, such as single scattering albedo, asymmetry factor and shortwave and longwave height-dependent extinction coefficient are determined by adjusting modeled radiation flux densities to observations. We found significant influence of the multiple reflection of shortwave radiation between the ice surface and the cloud base on the radiation regime. Consistent with the data, a radiation transfer model shows that stratus clouds of 400 m thickness with common cloud parameters may double the global radiation at the surface of sea-ice compared to open water values. The total cloud-surface-albedo under these circumstances is 30% larger over sea-ice than over water. Parametrizations of the global and reflected radiation above and below stratus clouds are proposed on the basis of the measurements and modeling. The upwelling and downwelling longwave emission of stratus clouds with thicknesses of more than 500 m can be satisfactorily estimated by Stefan's law with an emissivity of nearly 1 and when the maximum air temperature within the cloud is used.     

The effect of ozone and aerosols on the surface erythemal UV radiation estimated from OMI measurements

Surface erythemal UV radiation is mainly affected by total column ozone, aerosols, clouds, and solar zenith angle. The effect of ozone on the surface UV radiation has been explored many times in the previous studies due to the decrease of ozone layer. In this study, we calculated the effect of aerosols on the surface UV radiation as well as that of ozone using data acquired from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). First, ozone, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and surface erythemal UVB radiation measured from satellite are compared with those from ground measurements. The results showed that the comparison for ozone was good with r ² of 0.92. For aerosol, there was difference between satellite measurements and surface measurements due to the insufficient information on aerosol in the retrieval algorithm. The r ² for surface erythemal UV radiation was high (～0.94) but satellite measurements showed about 30% larger values than surface measurements on average by not considering the effect of absorbing aerosols in the retrieval process from satellite measurements. Radiative amplification factor (RAF) is used to access the effect of ozone and aerosol quantitatively. RAF for ozone was 0.97～1.49 with solar zenith angle. To evaluate the effect of aerosol on the surface UV radiation, only clear-sky pixel data were used and solar zenith angle and total column amount of ozone were fixed. Also, RAF for aerosol was assessed according to the single scattering albedo (SSA) of aerosols. The results showed that RAF for aerosol with smaller SSA (< 0.90) was larger than that for with larger SSA (> 0.90). The RAF for aerosol was 0.09～0.22 for the given conditions which was relatively small compared to that for ozone. However, considering the fact that aerosol optical depth can change largely in time and space while the total column amount of ozone does not change very much, it needs to include the effect of aerosol to predict the variations of surface UV radiation more correctly.     

El Chichón – influence on aerosol optical depth and direct,diffuse and total solar irradiances at Vancouver,B.C.

Abstract

Solar radiation data for Vancouver, B.C. were used to determine the increase in aerosol optical depth and the changes in the total, direct, diffuse and net short‐wave radiation fluxes associated with the presence of aerosol that originated from the eruption of El Chichón (Mexico) in April 1982. The aerosol optical depth increased by 400% resulting in reductions of 33% in the direct and increases of 80% in the diffuse short‐wave radiation. These maximum changes were experienced some 9 months following the eruption. The relative insensitivity of the total short‐wave radiation (maximum reduction was 6%) suggests that the volcanic cloud was a strong forward scatterer rather than an absorber or back scatterer. Moreover, interannual variability in the surface albedo and a negative feedback associated with the dependence of the surface albedo on the directionality of the incident radiation resulted in no consistent change in the amount of short‐wave radiation absorbed by the Earth's surface.     

The Impact of Non-Lambertian Wavelength-Dependent Reflecting Surfaces on Stratospheric Radiation and Photochemistry

We have developed models of physically-based cloud and ocean surfacesfor use in photochemical models. These surface models are described in termsof a flux albedo and a normalized reflection function.Through these, the dependence of albedo on wavelength, solar zenithangle, cloud optical depth (cloud surfaces) and surface windspeed (ocean surfaces) are allowed for. In addition, the non-Lambertian nature of these surfaces is accounted for.We have integrated these surfacemodels into a multiple scattering radiative transfer model to assess their effects on the stratospheric radiation field and J-values. This was accomplished by comparison with results obtainedusing Lambertian, constant albedo surfaces. Comparisons of stratospheric radiation fields revealed that boththe wavelength and directional dependences of the cloud and oceansurfaces could be large effects.Differences between calculated J-values varied from 0 to 12% depending upon species, solar zenith angle, andheight.The J-values were then used as input for a chemical box model to examine the effects these surfaces had on stratospheric chemistry. Comparisons were made against box model runs using J-values fromconstant surfaces. Overall, the effect was on the order of 10%.Differences in number densities using these different surfacesvaried with latitude, height and species.Runs were made with and without heterogeneous chemistry.     

On the angular correction of satellite radiation measurements: The performance of ERBE angular dependence model in the Arctic

Summary An angular dependence model (ADM) is needed to convert radiance measurements into fluxes. This paper provides an overview on the progress and issues related to the angular correction of radiation data at the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA), followed by an investigation on the performance of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) ADMs in the Arctic during summer. The variation of inferred albedo with viewing geometry indicates the merit of an ADM. The ERBE ADM for land does well as it leads to near constant albedos for given solar zenith angles. The ADM for snow/ice is least satisfactory when applied to the Arctic in summer. The performance of the ocean ADM is acceptable except at large solar zenith angles for which albedo increases with viewing zenith angle. Significant and systematic variation of albedo with viewing angle and relative azimuth angle are manifest when the overcast ERBE ADM is applied to over-cast-over-snow/ice scenes. A methodology for correcting ERBE ADMs was proposed by normalizing the anisotropic factor over bins containing sufficient measurements.With 6 Figures     

Spectral dependence on the correction factor of erythemal UV for cloud,aerosol, total ozone,and surface properties: A modeling study

Radiative transfer model simulations were used to investigate the erythemal ultraviolet(EUV) correction factors by separating the UV-A and UV-B spectral ranges. The correction factor was defined as the ratio of EUV caused by changing the amounts and characteristics of the extinction and scattering materials. The EUV correction factors(CFEUV) for UV-A[CFEUV(A)] and UV-B [CFEUV(B)] were affected by changes in the total ozone, optical depths of aerosol and cloud, and the solar zenith angle. The differences between CFEUV(A) and CFEUV(B) were also estimated as a function of solar zenith angle, the optical depths of aerosol and cloud, and total ozone. The differences between CFEUV(A) and CFEUV(B) ranged from-5.0% to 25.0% for aerosols, and from-9.5% to 2.0% for clouds in all simulations for different solar zenith angles and optical depths of aerosol and cloud. The rate of decline of CFEUV per unit optical depth between UV-A and UV-B differed by up to 20% for the same aerosol and cloud conditions. For total ozone, the variation in CFEUV(A) was negligible compared with that in CFEUV(B) because of the effective spectral range of the ozone absorption band. In addition, the sensitivity of the CFEUVs due to changes in surface conditions(i.e., surface albedo and surface altitude) was also estimated by using the model in this study. For changes in surface albedo, the sensitivity of the CFEUVs was 2.9%–4.1% per 0.1 albedo change,depending on the amount of aerosols or clouds. For changes in surface altitude, the sensitivity of CFEUV(B) was twice that of CFEUV(A), because the Rayleigh optical depth increased significantly at shorter wavelengths.     

Simulation of canopy radiation transfer and surface albedo in the EALCO model

A new canopy radiation transfer and surface albedo scheme is developed as part of the land surface model EALCO (Ecological Assimilation of Land and Climate Observations). The model uses a gap probability-based successive orders of scattering approach that explicitly includes the heterogeneities of stands and crown elements and the radiation multiple scattering. The model uses the optical parameters of ecosystem elements and physically represents ecosystem processes in surface albedo dynamics. Model tests using measurements from a boreal deciduous forest ecosystem show that the model well reproduced the observed diurnal and seasonal albedo dynamics under different weather and ecosystem conditions. The annual mean absolute errors between modeled and measured daily albedo and reflected radiation are 0.01 and 1.33 W m⁻², respectively. The model results provide a quantitative assessment of the impacts of plant shading and sky conditions on surface albedo observed in high-latitude ecosystems. The contribution of ground snow to surface albedo in winter was found to be less than 0.1 even though the canopy is leafless during this time. The interception of snow by the leafless canopy can increase the surface albedo by 0.1–0.15. The model results show that the spectral properties of albedo have large seasonal variations. In summer, the near infrared component is substantially larger than visible, and surface albedo is less sensitive to sky conditions. In winter, the visible band component is markedly increased and can exceed the near infrared proportion under cloudy conditions or when snow exists on the canopy. The spectral properties of albedo are also found to have large diurnal variations under the clear-sky conditions in winter.     

1997/1998年青藏高原西部地区辐射平衡各分量变化特征

利用中日亚洲季风机制研究计划1997年9月~1998年10月在青藏高原西部改则和狮泉河2个站点自动气象站辐射平衡的观测资料,分析了高原西部2个地区辐射平衡各分量在不同季节的季节平均日变化和年变化特征,并且还与1979年5~8月第一次青藏高原气象科学实验的辐射观测资料和1982,1983年青藏高原辐射平衡观测实验的结果进行了比较分析。结果发现:高原西部辐射平衡各分量的变化不仅有季节之间和年际的差异,高原西部的不同地区之间的变化也有较大的差异:(1)总辐射在春夏两季相差很小,改则春季(3~5月平均)日变化的极大值甚至比夏季(6~8月平均)还大;(2)地表反照率的年际变化及两地之间的差异均可能较大;(3)大气逆辐射日变化、年变化特征与其他辐射分量明显不同,其日变化、年变化的位相均晚于其他分量;(4)两地之间地面辐射平衡的年变化似乎有一个位相差,改则的月平均最大值和最小值均较狮泉河晚了约1个月,因此从冬季到夏季的大部分时间里,改则的地面辐射平衡是小于狮泉河的,而在从夏季到冬季的大部分时间里,改则是大于狮泉河的。     

On the vertical profile of surface radiative fluxes in southwest Germany

Summary Vertical profile of surface radiative fluxes in an area of heterogeneous terrain in south-west Germany is presented. Main data sets utilized for the study were recorded during the REgio KLIma Projekt (REKLIP). Supporting observational data were provided by the German weather service and German geophysical consultant service. Elevation of the study sites ranged from 212 m a.s.l. to 1489 m a.s.l. From May to September, monthly mean albedo was generally low at the study sites, ranging from 19% to 24%. For the other months, monthly mean albedo lie between 22% and 25% at the lowland site but extended between 27% and 71% at the highly elevated mountain site. Following the altitudinal increase in surface albedo, net radiative flux and radiation efficiency declined with elevation at an annual mean of 1.15 Wm⁻²/100 m and 0.008/100 m respectively. Absorbed shortwave radiation and effective terrestrial radiation showed mean decline of 1.54 Wm⁻²/100 m and 0.34 Wm⁻²/100 m, respectively, with the mean sky-to-earth radiation deficit amounting to about 52 Wm⁻² for the lowland site and 73 Wm⁻² for the highest elevated site. Some empirical models which express shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes in terms of meteorological variables have been validated for the lowland and mountain sites. Monthly mean daily total estimates of solar radiation obtained from ?ngst?m-Prescott relation were quite consistent with observed values. Parameterisation of downward atmospheric radiation under all sky condition was achieved by extending Brutsaert clear sky atmospheric model. Relationship between outgoing longwave radiation and screen temperature at the study sites was best described by an exponential function unlike the linear relationship proposed by Monteith and Unsworth. Net radiative flux for the lowland and mountain sites has been expressed in terms of absorbed shortwave radiation, cloud amount and screen temperature. Received March 5, 2001 Revised October 29, 2001