Characteristics of Solar Radiation and the Impact of Clouds at Yangbajing, Tibet

Yangbajing (YBJ) is located in the Tibetan Plateau, China. The characteristics of solar radiation and its relationship with clouds at YBJ from April 2009 to April 2010 were analyzed in this paper. The annual mean solar radiation was 478.4 W m 2 , and the annual mean transmittance was 0.713. The atmospheric mean trans- mittance of clear skies reaches 0.828 when the solar elevation angle (SEA) is greater than 10 degrees. Comparisons with numerical simulations show that the atmosphere of YBJ is clean. Impacts from atmospheric conditions on solar radiation are similar for clear skies during the year because the standard deviation of transmittance in clear skies was less than 0.05 when the SEA was greater than 10 degrees. It is important to understand the impact of clouds on solar radiation without considering other impact factors. In the last part of this article, the authors analyzed and established a statistical quantitative relationship between surface solar radiation and cloud fraction.     

Snow Albedo’s Dependence on Solar Zenith Angle from In Situ and MODIS Data

Since snow cover is one of the fastest modi- fications to the land surface albedo, the treatment of snow-covered surface albedo is important for the simulation of land processes in weather and climate models. A simple formulation is developed here to represent the solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence of albedo under maximum snow cover condition on the basis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) algorithm. The SZA dependence of black-sky (or direct) albedo is weaker under snow condition than that under snow-free condition, and it does not differ much among different vegetation types. The blue-sky albedo (or combined albedo from direct and diffuse radiations) based on the above formulation and in situ diffuse ratio of solar radiation is consistent with in situ data from two Canadian sites (grassland and evergreen needleleaf forest) and one U.S. grassland site. In particular, the SZA dependence of blue-sky snow albedo is almost always weak because of high diffuse ratios for high SZA in winter. With the snow albedo formulation from this study and snow-free albedo formulations from the authors’ previous studies, albedos with partial snow cover can be obtained as the snow fraction-weighted average of snow and snow-free albedos. Citation: Wang, Z., and X. Zeng, 2008: Snow albedo’s dependence on solar zenith angle from in situ and MODIS data, Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett., 1, 45-50     

Influence of Changes in Solar Radiation on Changes of Surface Temperature in China

The long-term trends of total surface solar radiation(SSR),surface diffuse radiation,and surface air temperature were analyzed in this study based on updated 48-yr data from 55 observational stations in China,and then the correlation between SSR and the diurnal temperature range(DTR) was studied.The effect of total solar radiation on surface air temperature in China was investigated on the basis of the above analyses.A strong correlation between SSR and DTR was found for the period 1961-2008 in China.The highest correlation and steepest regression line slope occurred in winter,indicating that the solar radiation effect on DTR was the largest in this season.Clouds and water vapor have strong influences on both SSR and DTR,and hence on their relationship.The largest correlations between SSR and DTR occurred in wintertime in northern China,regardless of all-day(including clear days and cloudy days) or clear-day cases.Our results also showed that radiation arriving at the surface in China decreased significantly during 1961-1989(dimming period),but began to increase during 1990-2008(brightening period),in agreement with previous global studies.The reduction of total SSR offset partially the greenhouse warming during 1961-1989.However,with the increase of SSR after 1990,this offsetting effect vanished;on the contrary,it even made a contribution to the accelerated warming.Nonetheless,the greenhouse warming still played a controlling role because of the increasing of minimum and mean surface temperatures in the whole study period of 1961-2008.We estimated that the greenhouse gases alone may have caused surface temperatures to rise by 0.31-0.46℃(10 yr) 1 during 1961-2008,which is higher than previously estimated.Analysis of the corresponding changes in total solar radiation,diffuse radiation,and total cloud cover indicated that the dimming and brightening phenomena in China were likely attributable to increases in absorptive and scattering aerosols in the atmosphere,respectively.     

A parameterized yet accurate model of ozone and water vapor transmittance in the solar-to-near-infrared spectrum

A parameterized transmittance model(PTR) for ozone and water vapor monochromatic transmittance calculation in the solar-to-near-infrared spectrum 0.3-4 μm with a spectral resolution of 5 cm-1 was developed based on the transmittance data calculated by Moderate-resolution Transmittance model(MODTRAN).Polynomial equations were derived to represent the transmittance as functions of path length and airmass for every wavelength based on the least-squares method.Comparisons between the transmittances calculated using PTR and MODTRAN were made,using the results of MODTRAN as a reference.Relative root-mean-square error(RMSre) was 0.823% for ozone transmittance.RMSre values were 8.84% and 3.48% for water vapor transmittance ranges of 1-1×10 18 and 1-1×10 3,respectively.In addition,the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II(SAGEII) ozone profiles and University of Wyoming(UWYO) water vapor profiles were applied to validate the applicability of PTR model.RMSre was 0.437% for ozone transmittance.RMSre values were 8.89% and 2.43% for water vapor transmittance ranges of 1-1×10 18 and 1-1×10 6,respectively.Furthermore,the optical depth profiles calculated using the PTR model were compared to the results of MODTRAN.Absolute RMS errors(RMSab) for ozone optical depths were within 0.0055 and 0.0523 for water vapor at all of the tested altitudes.Finally,the comparison between the solar heating rate calculated from the transmittance of PTR and Line-by-Line radiative transfer model(LBLRTM) was performed,showing a maximum deviation of 0.238 K d-1(6% of the corresponding solar heating rate calculated using LBLRTM).In the troposphere all of the deviations were within 0.08 K d-1.The computational speed of PTR model is nearly two orders of magnitude faster than that of MODTRAN.     

Estimation of Hourly Solar Radiation at the Surface under Cloudless Conditions on the Tibetan Plateau Using a Simple Radiation Model

In this study,the clear sky hourly global and net solar irradiances at the surface determined using SUNFLUX,a simple parameterization scheme,for three stations(Gaize,Naqu,and Lhasa) on the Tibetan Plateau were evaluated against observation data.Our modeled results agree well with observations.The correlation coefficients between modeled and observed values were > 0.99 for all three stations.The relative error of modeled results,in average was < 7%,and the root-mean-square variance was < 27 W m 2.The solar irradiances in the radiation model were slightly overestimated compared with observation data;there were at least two likely causes.First,the radiative effects of aerosols were not included in the radiation model.Second,solar irradiances determined by thermopile pyranometers include a thermal offset error that causes solar radiation to be slightly underestimated.The solar radiation absorbed by the ozone and water vapor was estimated.The results show that monthly mean solar radiation absorbed by the ozone is < 2% of the global solar radiation(< 14 W m 2).Solar radiation absorbed by water vapor is stronger in summer than in winter.The maximum amount of monthly mean solar radiation absorbed by water vapor can be up to 13% of the global solar radiation(95 W m 2).This indicates that water vapor measurements with high precision are very important for precise determination of solar radiation.     

Statistical Relationship Between UVB(280-320nm) and Broadband Solar Radiation(295-2800nm) at a Subtropical Location(Qena,Egypt)

The present study quantifies the relationship between ultraviolet-B(UVB) and broadband solar radiation(G) at Qena,Egypt.Data from 10-year hourly integrated totals for both UVB and G on a horizontal surface were used to determine the best fit between the two radiation types.On the basis of the correlation of determination(r2),a second-order polynomial was determined to provide the best fit.For the purpose of developing an empirical model to estimate UVB,all of the cases of UVB and G from a nine-year study from 2001 to 2009 were introduced.Monthly and seasonal empirical models,as well as a general expression,were established for UVB as a function of G.The values of r2 ranged from 0.90 to 0.97.By using a new dataset of G,the estimated and the corresponding measured values of UVB were determined to be in good agreement whereby the values of r2 between the two ranged from 0.91 to 0.98.In addition,the significance and performance of the regression forms were evaluated with the aid of several statistical analysis procedures.The values of the index of modeling(d) and coefficient of modeling efficiency(ME) were close to one.Moreover,the values of RMSE,mean bias error(MBE),and mean absolute error(MAE) were lower than the experimental errors.On the basis of this analysis,it has been determined that the suggested regression forms can be used to estimate UVB when it difficult to obtain measurements or when measurements are available only for limited periods at the studied region.     

Influences of the Clearness Index on UV Solar Radiation for Two Locations in the Tibetan Plateau——Lhasa and Haibei

Ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation has a significant influence on human health, the environment and climate. A series of measurements, including UV radiation (290-400 nm) and global solar radiation (Rs), were continuously recorded from August 2004 at the Lhasa and Haibei sites on the Tibetan Plateau. Both observation sites' altitudes are above 3000 m and have similar meteorological conditions. The data from 2005-2006 was used to identify the varying characteristics of UV radiation. It's relation to the clearness index Ks, the relative optical mass mr, and Rs were established. The annual mean values of total daily UV radiation are 0.92 and 0.67 MJ m-2 at Lhasa and Haibei, respectively. The UV radiation in Lhasa represented 4.6% of the global solar radiation while in Haibei this percentage was 4.2%. In the case of clear days (Ks > 0.8), these percentages ranged between 4.0% and 4.5% in Lhasa and between 5.1% and 5.5% in Haibei. In the case of cloudy days (Ks < 0.4), these percentages ranged from 4.4% to 6.8% in Lhasa and from 5.1% to 5.5% in Haibei. The maximum values of UV radiation for each relative optical mass diminished exponentially with mr. Thus, for Lhasa and Haibei, UV=46.25m-r 1.29, and UV=51.76m-r 1.42, respectively. The results of this study can be used to obtain more UV radiation data for the study of UV climate characteristics, the effects of UV on ecological processes and the feedback of the thinning of the stratospheric ozone, from more routine measurements Rs data.     

Estimation and Long-term Trend Analysis of Surface Solar Radiation in Antarctica: A Case Study of Zhongshan Station

Long-term,ground-based daily global solar radiation (DGSR) at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica can quantitatively reveal the basic characteristics of Earth’s surface radiation balance and validate satellite data for the Antarctic region.The fixed station was established in 1989,and conventional radiation observations started much later in 2008.In this study,a random forest (RF) model for estimating DGSR is developed using ground meteorological observation data,and a highprecision,long-term DGSR dataset is constructed.Then,the trend of DGSR from 1990 to 2019 at Zhongshan Station,Antarctica is analyzed.The RF model,which performs better than other models,shows a desirable performance of DGSR hindcast estimation with an R~2 of 0.984,root-mean-square error of 1.377 MJ m~(-2),and mean absolute error of 0.828 MJ m~(-2).The trend of DGSR annual anomalies increases during 1990–2004 and then begins to decrease after 2004.Note that the maximum value of annual anomalies occurs during approximately 2004/05 and is mainly related to the days with precipitation (especially those related to good weather during the polar day period) at this station.In addition to clouds and water vapor,bad weather conditions (such as snowfall,which can result in low visibility and then decreased sunshine duration and solar radiation) are the other major factors affecting solar radiation at this station.The high-precision,longterm estimated DGSR dataset enables further study and understanding of the role of Antarctica in global climate change and the interactions between snow,ice,and atmosphere.     

The Seasonal Climatic Simulation of 9000 Years before Present by Using the IAP Atmospheric General Circulation Model

The seasonal cycle of the climate of 9000 years before present was simulated with the IAP two-level atmospheric general circulation model. The incoming solar radiation was specified from the orbital parameters for 9000 years ago. The boundary conditions of that time were prescribed to the present value because of the small differences between the two. The change in radiation makes temperature to be higher in summer and lower in winter over large areas of the land; and the increased temperature contrast between the land and the ocean strengthens the summer monsoon circulation and increases the precipitation over there. The asymmetry of temperature change between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere and between summer and winter still exists, which agrees with that get from the previous perpetual experiments.     

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     

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.     

SATELLITE OBSERVATION OF SURFACE ALBEDO OVER THE QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU REGION

A method has been developed to determine the surface albedo over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau region from NOAA polar orbiter AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) data. The empirical relationship between clear-sky planetary and surface albedos is established the basis of surface global radiation measurements and the specified ratio between atmospheric reflection and absoption of solar radiation. The method is applied to the Qinghai-Xizang region with several measurements during the period of Sep. to Nov., 1985. A comparison is presented between the estimated surface albedos and that of surface observation. The results show that the presented method is suitable to detecting the spatial and temporal variation of surface albedo and is relevant for climatological studies. The possible error sources and improvements are discussed as well.     

Variation Characteristics of Ultraviolet Radiation over the North China Plain简

In situ measured data of broadband solar radiation （Rs） and ultraviolet （Uv） radiation were used to investigate the spa- tiotemporal variation properties of Uv radiation and the ratio of Uv radiation to Rs over the North China Plain （NCP）. Based on the analysis, an empirical model for estimating Uv radiation under all weather conditions in this region was developed. The results showed that the annual Uv radiation over the NCP ranges from 0.38-0.52 MJ m^-2 d^-1. The highest value during the study period was recorded at the Changwu site, which is located near the margin of the Loess Plateau, while the lowest value appeared at the station in Beijing. The seasonal variation pattern of the ratio of Uv radiation to Rs is similar to that of Uv radiation; namely, the highest value appears in August and then decreases gradually until the lowest value appears in November. A small increasing trend in the Uv radiation levels and the ratio of Uv radiation to Rs was observed over the NCP. The evaluation results showed that the empirical estimation model can be widely used to estimate Uv radiation under all atmospheric conditions. The relative error between the modeled and measured daily values were within ± 15%.     

Connection between atmospheric latent energy and energy fluxes simulated by nine CMIP5 models

The atmospheric latent energy and incoming energy fluxes of the atmosphere are analyzed here based on the historical simulations of nine coupled models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5)and two reanalysis datasets.The globally averaged atmospheric latent energy is found to be highly correlated with several types of energy flux,particularly the surface latent heat flux,atmosphere absorbed solar radiation flux,and surface net radiation flux.On the basis of these connections,a hydrological cycle controlled feedback(HCCF)is hypothesized.Through this feedback,the atmosphere absorbed solar radiation is enhanced and causes intensification of the surface latent heat flux when the atmospheric latent energy is abnormally strong.The representativeness of the HCCF during different periods and over different latitudinal zones is also discussed.Although such a feedback cannot be confirmed by reanalysis,it proves to be a common mechanism for all the models studied.     

An improved method for correction of air temperature measured using different radiation shields

The variation of air temperature measurement errors using two different radiation shields （DTR502B Vaisala,Finland,and HYTFZ01,Huayun Tongda Satcom,China） was studied.Datasets were collected in the field at the Daxing weather station in Beijing from June 2011 to May 2012.Most air temperature values obtained with these two commonly used radiation shields were lower than the reference records obtained with the new Fiber Reinforced Polymers （FRP） Stevenson screen.In most cases,the air temperature errors when using the two devices were smaller on overcast and rainy days than on sunny days; and smaller when using the imported rather than the Chinese shield.The measured errors changed sharply at sunrise and sunset,and reached maxima at noon.Their diurnal variation characteristics were,naturally,related to changes in solar radiation.The relationships between the record errors,global radiation,and wind speed were nonlinear.An improved correction method was proposed based on the approach described by Nakamura and Mahrt （2005） （NM05）,in which the impact of the solar zenith angle （SZA） on the temperature error is considered and extreme errors due to changes in SZA can be corrected effectively.Measurement errors were reduced significantly after correction by either method for both shields.The error reduction rate using the improved correction method for the Chinese and imported shields were 3.3％ and 40.4％ higher than those using the NM05 method,respectively.     

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.     

All-Sky Direct Radiative Effects of Urban Aerosols in Beijing and Shanghai,China

Aerosol particles can directly alter the radiation balance by scattering and absorbing incident solar radiation, thus decreasing the amount of light reaching the surface and increasing the fraction of diffuse radiation—the so-called ‘aerosol direct radiative effect'. Using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aerosol products, the aerosol direct radiative effects under all-sky conditions in Beijing and Shanghai in 2007 were explored in this study. The total shortwave radiation was calculated using the Fu-Liou radiative transfer model, with the influence of clouds taken into account through sunshine-duration data, and the diffuse radiation was calculated with radiation decomposition models. Good correlation between measured and calculated total radiation was obtained at both cities, with an R greater than 0.9, and thus this calculation method was adopted to derive aerosol direct radiative effects. The presence of aerosols caused the mean total and diffuse solar radiation reaching the surface to change by-19.9% and +27.4% in Beijing, respectively, and by-18.4% and +6.5% in Shanghai. It was also found that, despite the strong negative correlation between aerosol optical depth and total radiation change, the diffuse radiation changes were determined predominantly by clouds. The effects of such changes induced by aerosols on plant productivity should be further studied.     

Influences of the clearness index on UV solar radiation for two locations in the Tibetan Plateau-Lhasa and Haibei

Ultraviolet （UV） solar radiation has a significant influence on human health, the environment and climate. A series of measurements, including UV radiation （290 400 nm） and global solar radiation （Rs）, were continuously recorded from August 2004 at the Lhasa and Haibei sites on the Tibetan Plateau. Both observation sites＇ altitudes are above 3000 m and have similar meteorological conditions. The data from 2005 2006 was used to identify the varying characteristics of UV radiation. It＇s relation to the clearness index Ks, the relative optical mass mr, and Rs were established. The annual mean values of total daily UV radiation are 0.92 and 0.67 MJ m^-2 at Lhasa and Haibei, respectively. The UV radiation in Lhasa represented 4.6% of the global solar radiation while in Haibei this percentage was 4.2%. In the case of clear days （Ks 〉 0.8）, these percentages ranged between 4.0% and 4.5% in Lhasa and between 5.1% and 5.5% in Haibei. In the case of cloudy days （Ks 〈 0.4）, these percentages ranged from 4.4% to 6.8% in Lhasa and from 5.1% to 5.5% in Haibei. The maximum values of UV radiation for each relative optical mass diminished exponentially with mr. Thus, for Lhasa and Haibei, UV=46.25mr-129, and UV=51.76mr-142, respectively. The results of this study can be used to obtain more UV radiation data for the study of UV climate characteristics, the effects of UV on ecological processes and the feedback of the thinning of the stratospheric ozone, from more routine measurements Rs data.     

Study on Cloud-Radiation Effect on Climate in Eastern Asia

In this paper, the decade data of meteorological satellite and surface meteorological observation of China have been analysed. The relationship between cloud and radiation has been studied. A set of empirical formulae of the ralationships between the albedo and cloud amount, the outgoing longwave radiation and cloud amount in Chinese different districts and different seasons has been deduced. They express simply the response of both planet reflectivity and earth-atmosphere outgoing longwave radiation to the change of cloud amount. So that the sensitivity of net radiation of the earth-atmosphere system to the change of cloud amount and the ratio of cloud reflective effect to greenhouse effect can be estimated. In this paper, the radiative process of the earth-atmosphere system, cloud and radiative balance and its effect on climate have been synthetically studied.     

ELEMENTARY VIEW OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT OF THE ATMOSPHERES OF VARIOUS PLANETS

The global mean temperatures of the atmosphere and the surface of various planets of the solar system are deter-mined by taking the system as in radiative equilibrium,with the atmosphere taken as transparent to solar radiation butwith an albedo α,and composed of N layers each of which absorbs all infrared radiation that falls on it,and a top layerof partial absorptivity a,while the surface is taken as black.It is found that,for the earth's atmosphere with α=0.33,N=0,a=0.83,it gives the current observed mean surface temperature T_s=15℃ and the effective mean radiative temper-ature of the atmosphere T_a=242.6K.On the other hand;the atmosphere of Venus is characterized by α=0.70 andN=70,which yields a surface temperature of about 700K.It is also found that surface evaporation and absorption of solar radiation by the atmosphere tend to lower the sur-face temperature.