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Evaluating Surface Radiation Fluxes Observed From Satellites in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean
Author(s) -
Pinker R. T.,
Zhang B.,
Weller R. A.,
Chen W.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl076805
Subject(s) - buoy , shortwave radiation , satellite , shortwave , environmental science , climatology , longwave , radiative transfer , outgoing longwave radiation , current (fluid) , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , geology , radiation , oceanography , geography , convection , physics , quantum mechanics , aerospace engineering , engineering
This study is focused on evaluation of current satellite and reanalysis estimates of surface radiative fluxes in a climatically important region. It uses unique observations from the STRATUS Ocean Reference Station buoy in a region of persistent marine stratus clouds 1,500 km off northern Chile during 2000–2012. The study shows that current satellite estimates are in better agreement with buoy observations than model outputs at a daily time scale and that satellite data depict well the observed annual cycle in both shortwave and longwave surface radiative fluxes. Also, buoy and satellite estimates do not show any significant trend over the period of overlap or any interannual variability. This verifies the stability and reliability of the satellite data and should make them useful to examine El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability influences on surface radiative fluxes at the STRATUS site for longer periods for which satellite record is available.