[1] Solar irradiance is the main external driver of the Earth’s climate. Whereas the total solar irradiance is the main source of energy input into the climate system, solar UV irradiance exerts control over chemical and physical processes in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The time series of accurate irradiance measurements are, however, relatively short and limit the assessment of the solar con...

Solar irradiance spectral measurements were performed during a total solar eclipse. The spectral effect of the limb darkening to the global, direct irradiance and actinic flux measurements was investigated. This effect leads to wavelength dependent changes in the measured solar spectra showing a much more pronounced decrease in the radiation at the lower wavelengths. Radiative transfer model re...

[1] The amount of solar irradiance reaching the surface is a key parameter in the hydrological and energy cycles of the Earth’s climate. We analyze 20th Century simulations using nine state-of-the-art climate models and show that all models estimate a global annual mean reduction in downward surface solar radiation of 1–4 W/m at the same time that the globe warms by 0.4–0.7 C. In single forcing...

Sensitivity analysis of aerosol parameter (refractive index which consists of real and imaginary parts, size distribution which is represented by Junge parameter) estimations with measured solar direct and diffuse irradiance is made. Through experiments with the measured solar direct and diffuse irradiance, it is found that the results from the sensitivity analysis is valid and adequate. Keywor...

Next generation orbital imaging spectrometers, with advanced global remote sensing capabilities, propose to address outstanding ocean science questions related to coastal and inland water environments. These missions require highly accurate characterization of solar irradiance in the critical 380–600 nm spectral range. However, the irradiance in this spectral region is temporally variable and d...

The meteorological data concerning solar radiation are generally not sufficient to allow quantifying all the phenomena which occur when a photovoltaic panel receives solar light. It is therefore, necessary to supplement these data by using astronomical calculation for the sun position and modelling the atmosphere. A simple method to calculate global, diffuse and direct irradiance on vertical an...

The solar contribution to global mean air surface temperature change is analyzed by using an empirical bi-scale climate model characterized by both fast and slow characteristic time responses to solar forcing: t1 1⁄4 0:470:1yr and t2 1⁄4 872yr or t2 1⁄4 1273yr. Since 1980 the solar contribution to climate change is uncertain because of the severe uncertainty of the total solar irradiance satell...

This work describes a new hybrid method that combines information from processed satellite images with Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for predicting global horizontal irradiance (GHI) at temporal horizons of 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. The forecast model is applied to GHI data gathered from two distinct locations (Davis and Merced) that represent well the geographical distribution of solar irra...

Time-resolved characterization of solar irradiance at the ground level is a critical element in solar energy analysis. Siting of nodes in a network of solar irradiance monitoring stations (MS) is a multi-faceted problem that directly affects the determination of the solar resource and its spatio-temporal variability. The present work proposes an objective framework to optimize the deployment of...

Geostationary satellites, such as Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) or GOES, represent a key element in monitoring and forecasting the state of the Earth’s atmosphere [1]. Nevertheless, these satellites are useful for the estimation of solar irradiance, since the knowledge of the radiance reflected by clouds is the basis for the calculation of the transmitted irradiance. As a matter of fact, an ...