Spectral and spatial variability of solar irradiance in the North Atlantic

Gregory E. Terrie; Robert A. Arnone

doi:10.1117/12.138856

22 December 1992 Spectral and spatial variability of solar irradiance in the North Atlantic

Gregory E. Terrie, Robert A. Arnone

Proceedings Volume 1749, Optics of the Air-Sea Interface: Theory and Measurement; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.138856
Event: San Diego '92, 1992, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

A model to predict the monthly solar irradiance incident at the ocean surface has been developed at seven wavelengths across the visible spectrum (390, 440, 490, 540, 590, 640, and 690 nm). The model incorporates specific monthly climatological databases of aerosols, ozone, and percent cloud cover derived from satellite observation for the North Atlantic from May 1979. The variations in the spectral irradiance fields in the North Atlantic are shown to be highly spatially variable in small scales (< 100 km) in addition to being spectrally different. The irradiance distribution is dependent on the spectral characteristics of the transmittance parameters, and also on the small scale variability of the climatological data. The model indicates that the Rayleigh and aerosol transmittance has a pronounced affect on the spectral irradiance while the magnitude of the irradiance is controlled primarily by percent cloud cover and aerosol transmittance. The general trend in the North Atlantic indicated that the spectral irradiance intensity is similar to the solar spectrum (peaking at 490 - 540) and diminishing in the shorter and longer wavelengths.

Citation Download Citation

Gregory E. Terrie and Robert A. Arnone "Spectral and spatial variability of solar irradiance in the North Atlantic", Proc. SPIE 1749, Optics of the Air-Sea Interface: Theory and Measurement, (22 December 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.138856

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