Characterization of Thermal Effects in Pyranometers: A Data Correction Algorithm for Improved Measurement of Surface Insolation

Abstract Pyranometers are reliable, economical radiometers commonly used to measure solar irradiances at the surface in a long-term, monitoring mode. This paper presents a discussion of the response of these instruments to varying environmental conditions, including the magnitude and variability of the irradiance being measured. It is found that different conditions, commonly occurring in field experiments, affect the thermal balance and temperature gradients within the instrument in a variety of ways. Such an effect results in variable offset systematic errors whose origin and magnitude are investigated in laboratory and field experiments. It is shown that these offset errors are proportional to the difference between the fourth power of the dome and detector temperatures, following closely the Stefan–Boltzmann radiation law. Results of field experiments are presented for daytime and nighttime operation over a variety of atmospheric conditions ranging from clear to heavy overcast and rain. All measuremen...

[1]  Arild Gulbrandsen,et al.  On the Use of Pyranometers in the Study of Spectral Solar Radiation and Atmospheric Aerosols , 1978 .

[2]  E. Clothiaux,et al.  Uncertainties in modeled and measured clear‐sky surface shortwave irradiances , 1997 .

[3]  A. Goetz,et al.  Observations of the Spectral Distribution of Solar Irradiance at the Ground During SUCCESS , 1998 .

[4]  A. J. Drummond,et al.  Corrections to be Applied to Measurements Made with Eppley (and other) Spectral Radiometers When Used with Schott Colored Glass Filters , 1965 .

[5]  Minghua Zhang,et al.  Absorption of solar radiation by the cloudy atmosphere: Further interpretations of collocated aircraft measurements , 1997 .

[6]  Albert Arking,et al.  Absorption of Solar Energy in the Atmosphere: Discrepancy Between Model and Observations , 1996, Science.

[7]  F. Valero,et al.  Comparison of ARESE clear sky surface radiation measurements , 1999 .

[8]  P. Francis,et al.  On the question of enhanced absorption of solar radiation by clouds , 1997 .

[9]  D. Imre,et al.  Quantifying Cloud-Induced Shortwave Absorption: An Examination of Uncertainties and of Recent Arguments for Large Excess Absorption , 1996 .

[10]  V. Ramanathan,et al.  Warm Pool Heat Budget and Shortwave Cloud Forcing: A Missing Physics? , 1995, Science.

[11]  Si-Chee Tsay,et al.  On the cloud absorption anomaly , 1990 .

[12]  C. H. Whitlock,et al.  Absorption of Solar Radiation by Clouds: Observations Versus Models , 1995, Science.

[13]  D. W. Nelson,et al.  Optimal Measurement of Surface Shortwave Irradiance Using Current Instrumentation , 1997 .

[14]  P. Pilewskie,et al.  How Much Solar Radiation Do Clouds Absorb? , 1996, Science.

[15]  F. Valero,et al.  SURFACE RADIATION MEASUREMENTS DURING THE ARESE CAMPAIGN , 1999 .

[16]  Yaping Zhou,et al.  Absorption of solar radiation by clouds: Interpretations of satellite, surface, and aircraft measurements , 1996 .

[17]  Louis Moreau,et al.  The variable effect of clouds on atmospheric absorption of solar radiation , 1995, Nature.

[18]  P. Pilewskie,et al.  Direct Observations of Excess Solar Absorption by Clouds , 1995, Science.

[19]  Paul Bener,et al.  Untersuchung über die Wirkungsweise des Solarigraphen Moll-Gorczynski , 1950 .

[20]  A. Berk,et al.  Models overestimate diffuse clear‐sky surface irradiance: A case for excess atmospheric absorption , 1998 .

[21]  W. Collins,et al.  Atmospheric Radiation Measurements Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE): Experimental and data details , 1997 .

[22]  W. Collins,et al.  Atmospheric absorption during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE) , 1997 .

[23]  An Examination of the Clear-Sky Solar Absorption over the Central Equatorial Pacific: Observations versus Models , 1997 .

[24]  W. Collins,et al.  An estimate of the surface shortwave cloud forcing over the western pacific during TOGA COARE , 1996 .