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Inconsistency in Chinese solar radiation data caused by instrument replacement: Quantification based on pan evaporation observations
Author(s) -
Yang Hanbo,
Li Zhe,
Li Mingliang,
Yang Dawen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2014jd023015
Subject(s) - environmental science , radiation , meteorology , calibration , pan evaporation , scale (ratio) , atmospheric sciences , climatology , evaporation , remote sensing , geography , optics , physics , geology , cartography , quantum mechanics
Solar radiation determines our climate and hydrological cycle, and it has been widely measured by pyrometers at meteorological stations. In the early 1990s, a large‐scale instrument replacement occurred across China, leading to inconsistent solar radiation observations. Fortunately, China has consistent pan evaporation ( E pan ) observations from Chinese micropans (with a diameter of 20 cm) from the 1950s to 2001. This study parameterized the PenPan‐20 model for estimating E pan from these pans using a Bayesian approach. Furthermore, based on the PenPan‐20 model, a shift in the solar radiation data (~1.4 ± 0.5 MJ/(d m 2 ) or 16 ± 7 W/m 2 ) in the early 1990s was revealed; this change was likely due to the large‐scale retrofitting of new instruments and irregular calibration operations.