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.     

A simplified calibrated model for estimating daily global solar radiation in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Solar radiation is the most important parameter in defining the energy budget at the surface thereby influencing the hydroclimate. Several empirical models based on air temperature are developed and used in several decision-making needs such as agriculture and energy sector. However, a calibration against direct observations is a priori for implementing such models. A calibrated model is developed for Saudi Arabia (Madinah) based on observations during 2007–2011. The model $ \left( {\mathrm{Rs}=A+B\cdot \mathrm{R}{{\mathrm{s}}_0}{{{\left( {{T_{\max }}-{T_{\min }}} \right)}}^C}} \right) $ is used to estimate daily solar radiation and results show a correlation coefficient of 0.94. The calibrated model outperforms the uncalibrated model available for this location. To increase the confidence, the calibrated model is also compared with a simple artificial neural network.     

Retrieving daily global solar radiation from routine climate variables

Solar radiation is an important variable for studies related to solar energy applications, meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and agricultural meteorology. However, solar radiation is not routinely measured at meteorological stations; therefore, it is often required to estimate it using other techniques such as retrieving from satellite data or estimating using other geophysical variables. Over the years, many models have been developed to estimate solar radiation from other geophysical variables such as temperature, rainfall, and sunshine duration. The aim of this study was to evaluate six of these models using data measured at four independent worldwide networks. The dataset included 13 stations from Australia, 25 stations from Germany, 12 stations from Saudi Arabia, and 48 stations from the USA. The models require either sunshine duration hours (Ångstrom) or daily range of air temperature (Bristow and Campbell, Donatelli and Bellocchi, Donatelli and Campbell, Hargreaves, and Hargreaves and Samani) as input. According to the statistical parameters, Ångstrom and Bristow and Campbell indicated a better performance than the other models. The bias and root mean square error for the Ångstrom model were less than 0.25 MJ m² day^?1 and 2.25 MJ m² day^?1, respectively, and the correlation coefficient was always greater than 95 %. Statistical analysis using Student’s t test indicated that the residuals for Ångstrom, Bristow and Campbell, Hargreaves, and Hargreaves and Samani are not statistically significant at the 5 % level. In other words, the estimated values by these models are statistically consistent with the measured data. Overall, given the simplicity and performance, the Ångstrom model is the best choice for estimating solar radiation when sunshine duration measurements are available; otherwise, Bristow and Campbell can be used to estimate solar radiation using daily range of air temperature.     

Evaluation and estimation of daily global solar radiation from the estimated direct and diffuse solar radiation

Active layer plays a key role in regulating the dynamics of hydrothermal processes and ecosystems that are sensitive to the changing climate in permafrost regions. However, little is known about the hydrothermal dynamics during freeze-thaw processes in permafrost regions with different vegetation types on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). In the present study, the freezing and thawing processes at four sites (QT01, 03, 04, and 05) with different vegetation types on the QTP was analyzed. The results indicated that the impact on the soil water and heat during the summer thawing process was markedly greater than that during the autumn freezing process. Furthermore, the thermal-orbit regression slopes for all sites exhibited a homologous variation as the depth increased, with the slowest attenuation for the meadow sites (QT01 and QT03) and a slightly faster attenuation for the desert steppe site (QT05). The air and ground surface temperatures were similar in winter, but the ground surface temperature was significantly higher than the air temperature in summer in the radiation-rich environment at all sites on the QTP. The results also indicated that the n-factors were between 0.36 and 0.55 during the thawing season, and the annual mean temperature near the permafrost table was between − 1.26 and − 1.84 °C. In the alpine desert steppe region, the thermal conditions exhibited to show a warming trend, with a current permafrost table temperature of − 0.22 °C. The annual changing amplitude of the ground temperature at the permafrost table was different for different vegetation types.     

The sea breeze at Venice,as related to daily global solar radiation

Although the sea breeze at Venice and on her hinterland is influenced by orography - mainly the Alps — to the north and the Po Valley to the west, the search for a correlation between the frequency of development of the sea breeze and the daily global solar radiation seems to be desirable, and may be useful for the management of emissions from the industrial area near Venice. Three different cases are examined: (i) the sea breeze occuring in the absence of any appreciable gradient wind; (ii) the sea breeze superimposed on a prevailing wind; (iii) the sea breeze not developing at all. The frequency distributions of these cases related to the global solar radiation at Venice are discussed.     

Semi-monthly mean sea-level pressure maps for the Mediterranean area

Summary Semi-monthly mean sea-level pressure maps for the Mediterranean and adjacent areas are presented. Isobars have been drawn at 1-millibar intervals. The most significant features on the maps and the advantages of the mode of presentation are discussed briefly.

---

Zusammenfassung Es werden auf das Meeresniveau bezogene halbmonatliche mittlere Luftdruckkarten für das Mittelmeergebiet und die anstoßenden Länder vorgelegt. Die Isobaren wurden für Millibarabstände gezeichnet. Die wichtigsten Resultate der Karten und die Vorzüge der Darstellungsweise werden kurz besprochen.

---

Résumé Présentation de cartes de la pression moyenne semi-mensuelle, réduite au niveau de la mer, de la région méditerranéenne et des contrées voisines. Les isobares sont tracées de millibar en millibar. Brève discussion des traits principaux des cartes et des avantages de la méthode de représentation.

---

---

With 25 Figures.

---

The work reported in this paper has been supported by the Geophysics Research Division of the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, under Contract AF 19 (122)-466.     

Spatio-temporal regression kriging model of mean daily temperature for Croatia

High resolution gridded mean daily temperature datasets are valuable for research and applications in agronomy, meteorology, hydrology, ecology, and many other disciplines depending on weather or climate. The gridded datasets and the models used for their estimation are being constantly improved as there is always a need for more accurate datasets as well as for datasets with a higher spatial and temporal resolution. We developed a spatio-temporal regression kriging model for Croatia at 1 km spatial resolution by adapting the spatio-temporal regression kriging model developed for global land areas. A geometrical temperature trend, digital elevation model, and topographic wetness index were used as covariates together with measurements from the Croatian national meteorological network for the year 2008. This model performed better than the global model and previously developed models for Croatia, based on MODIS land surface temperature images. The R2 was 97.8% and RMSE was 1.2 °C for leave-one-out and 5-fold cross-validation. The proposed national model still has a high level of uncertainty at higher altitudes leaving it suitable for agricultural areas that are dominant in lower and medium altitudes.     

APHRODITE高分辨率逐日降水资料在中国大陆地区的适用性

通过收集、整理中国历史上各类逐小时降水数据源,建立了中国国家级地面气象台站逐小时降水数据集。质量评估结果显示,绝大部分台站实有率在90%以上,中国东部沿海和贵州、湖南等省份数据实有率偏低。各台站数据正确率普遍较高,正确率低于98%的台站数占总站数的0.7%,正确率在98%~99%区间的台站占总站数的1.8%,其余97.5%的站数据正确率都高于99%。逐小时降水量的日合计量和人工观测日降水量差值在1 mm以内的占92.1%,在0.5~5 mm间的占16.37%,超过5 mm的不到9‰。

     

Retrieving air humidity,global solar radiation,and reference evapotranspiration from daily temperatures: development and validation of new methods for Mexico. Part II: radiation

We propose a new model to estimate daily global radiation from daily temperature range measurements. This model combines that of Majumdar et al. (Sol Energy 13(4):383–394, 1972) to estimate clear sky radiation with a Gompertz function to estimate the relation between temperature range and cloud transmittance. Model parameters are estimated from historical weather data: maximum and minimum temperatures and, if available, relative humidity; no other calibration is required. The model was parametrized and validated using 788 weather stations in Mexico. When calibrated using historical humidity data, daily global radiation was estimated with a mean root mean square error of 3.06 MJ m^?2 day^?1. The model performed well in all situations, except for a few stations around the Gulf of Mexico and in mountain areas. When using estimated humidity, the root mean square error of prediction was only slightly degraded (3.07 MJ m^?2 day^?1). Possible theoretical basis and applicability of this model to other environments are discussed.     

Models for obtaining daily global solar irradiation from air temperature data

The study presents a critical assessment of the possibility of global solar irradiation computation by using air temperature instead of sunshine duration with the classical Ångström equations. The reason for this approach comes from the fact that, although the air temperature is a worldwide measured meteorological parameter, this is rarely used in solar radiation estimation techniques. More than that, the literature is very silent concerning the testing of such models in Eastern Europe. Two new global solar irradiation models (to be called AEAT) related to solar irradiation under clear sky conditions and having the minimum and maximum daily air temperature as input parameters were tested and compared with others from the literature against data measured at five stations in Romania in the year 2000. The accuracy of AEAT is acceptable and comparable to that of the models which use sunshine duration or cloud amount as input parameters. Since temperature-based Ångström correlations are strongly sensitive to origin, the approach for AEAT as a tool for potential users is presented in detail. Additionally reported is a new method to increase the generality of AEAT concerning the extension of the geographical application area. Based on overall results it was concluded that air temperature successfully substitutes sunshine duration in the estimation of the available solar energy.     

A hybrid technique for computing the monthly mean net longwave surface radiation over oceanic areas

Summary Global maps of the monthly mean net upward longwave radiation flux at the ocean surface have been obtained for April, July, October 1985 and January 1986. These maps were produced by blending information obtained from a combination of general circulation model cloud radiative forcing fields, the top-of-the-atmosphere cloud radiative forcing from ERBE and TOVS profiles and sea surface temperature on ISCCP C1 tapes. The fields are compatible with known meteorological regimes of atmospheric water vapor content and cloudiness. There is a vast area of high net upward longwave radiation flux (> 80 W m^–2) in the eastern Pacific Ocean throughout most of the year. Areas of low net upward longwave radiation flux (< 40 Wm^–2) are the tropical convective regions and extra tropical regions that tend to have persistent low cloud cover. The technique used in this study relies on GCM simulations and so is subject to some of the uncertainties associated with the model. However, all input information regarding temperature, moisture and cloud cover is from satellite data having near global coverage. This feature of the procedure alone warrants its consideration for further use in compiling global maps of the net longwave radiation at the surface over the oceans.With 9 Figures     

Reconstruction of daily ultraviolet radiation for nine observation stations in China

The aim of this study was to reconstruct daily ultraviolet (UV) radiation (daily cumulation, similarly hereinafter) for nine observation stations in China, using a radiative transfer model combined with empirical relationships. Measurements of global total solar (G) radiation, UV radiation, and their ratio (UV/G) at the nine stations were analyzed for the period 2006–2011. The daily cloud and aerosol attenuation ratios were defined to quantitatively evaluate the effect of cloud and aerosols on radiation, based on measurements and simulated data under cloudless-sky conditions. A semi-empirical reconstruction method for UV radiation was established at each station using cloud modification factors, and by applying an equation that relates G and UV radiation measurements, as well as their corresponding simulations under cloudless conditions. Daily UV radiation values were reconstructed and compared with ground-based measurements for the nine stations, and the results revealed most of the slope values to be close to one, and the determination coefficients ranged from 89.5 to 95.7 %. The values of mean absolute bias error (MABE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) were below 15 and 18 % for all stations, respectively, and at most stations were even lower than 10 %. A comparison of monthly measured and reconstructed UV radiation for the nine stations was also performed, revealing the values of MABE and RMSE to be even smaller with values of less than 5 %. According to these results, we conclude that the method established in this study has good applicability and transferability.     

Climatological method of determining the date of steady passage of daily mean air temperature through the prescribed threshold value

A new method of determining the dates of steady passage of daily mean air temperature through certain threshold values is suggested. The method is optimal for revealing tendencies of regular changes in time series of dates of steady passage through certain limits and durations of respective periods.     

全球地面降水月值历史数据集研制

全球降水历史数据是开展气候、水循环等研究的基础。收集整理全球12个数据源降水历史月值资料,通过站号、站名甄别不同数据源中相同台站,对344个通过相关系数、一致率、均值t检验、方差F检验的台站多源资料进行拼接,尽可能多地融合各套数据产品优势,最终形成全球降水历史月值数据集(CMA Global PrecipitationV1.0, CGP)。数据集重点解决当前国际数据产品在东亚地区站点稀少、同时应用多套数据应用门槛较高等问题。数据集收录3.1万个台站共计1.87×107组月降水记录, 4152个台站序列长度达百年。与美国大气海洋局(NOAA)的全球降水数据集(GHCN-M V2.0)对比,CGP新增1万个站点、0.5×107组有效观测记录和1030条百年序列,其中141条百年序列通过多源整合技术获取。CGP的站点和数据量优势主要体现在东亚、东欧、西伯利亚等站点稀疏地区。基于CGP分析的全球降水时空特征与国际同类产品的结果较一致。新增的数据虽然没有改变全球降水分布的总体特征,但对区域性的百年降水变化检测有一定影响。基于CGP的全球降水百年序列结果显示,20世纪前半叶全球降水量偏小,近20年是1900年以来全球降水量最大的时期,各纬度带、各个国家或地区的降水长期变化趋势呈现显著的差异。      

Variations and trends in global solar radiation for Turkey

Summary Since measured solar radiation data in Turkey have rather high random errors, sunshine duration data covering the period from 1960 through 1994 from 34 stations in Turkey were taken to derive estimates of monthly mean global solar radiation by a quadratic correlation. The least square linear regression method was applied for trend analysis. Significant negative trends of the annual means were observed with 71 percent of the stations A 3.44 percent decrease in global solar radiation was observed over the last 35 years in Turkey. The decrease in solar radiation is an indication of increased air pollution, as statistical parameters show that Turkey is rapidly expanding economically, and thus air quality has deteriorated correspondingly.With 3 Figures