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This page accesses surface observation data and creates a summary table of available variables for a given site and will plot a pre-selected variable if desired.
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Accuracy

The following table shows desired surface flux accuracies from BSRN: From Ohmura et al., 1998

Quantity at Surface Capability
Direct solar irradiance 2 Wm-2
Diffuse solar radiation 5 Wm-2
Global (SW) radiation 5 Wm-2
Downwelling longwave radiation 10 Wm-2
Ohmura, A., E. Dutton, B. Forgan, C. Frohlich, H. Gilgen, H. Hegne, A. Heimo, G. Konig-Langlo, B. McArthur, G. Muller, R. Philipona, C. Whitlock, K. Dehne, and M. Wild, 1998: Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN/WCRP): New precision radiometery for climate change research. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 79 No. 10, 2115-2136.

Accuracies specified by BSRN in the Longwave region are seen as overly pessimistic as pointed out in Charlock et al. 2001. This is also found in the statistics tables above in model to observation comparisons.
Responsible NASA Official: Dr. Thomas Charlock
Data/Web Questions:David Rutan
Last Updated: 2008/05/02

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