Title
An Improved Parametric Model for Simulating Cloudy Sky Daily Direct Solar Radiation on Tilted Surfaces
Abstract
Incoming solar radiation absorbed by the Earth's surface is important for simulation models in addressing issues of ecosystem dynamics and climate change. The objective of this study was to simulate the daily direct solar radiation on tilted surfaces under cloudy sky conditions using an improved parametric model that integrates the atmospheric attenuation with the correction of three dimensional effects of cloud shadow and topographic factors. The model is validated by implementing four comparative case studies (Lhasa, Beijing, Kunming and Erjinaqi) based on the daily atmospheric products of MODIS TERRA/AQUA and SRTM DEM. The results show that the proposed parametric model is convincingly efficient, as the computed coefficients of determination (R 2) are relatively high for all stations except Lhasa (0.62 for Lhasa, 0.70 for Kunming, 0.70 for Beijing and 0.78 for Erjinaqi), and the RMSE (root mean square error) are 4.89 MJ/m2 for Lhasa, 4.09 MJ/m2 for Kunming, 4.02 MJ/m2 for Beijing and 3.79 MJ/m2 for Erjinaqi. A possible explanation is that the complex terrain accounts for the greater attenuation of solar radiation at Lhasa, while in our study, the data are retrieved at a spatial resolution of 1 km and the detailed terrain can not be clearly represented. The proposed model also indicates that clouds are the primary contributors to the amount and spatiotemporal distribution of solar radiation. The accuracy of the developed model is largely dependent on the temporal resolution of the data sources, especially the cloud optical thickness data. Meanwhile, the model reveals that topography and the spatial resolution of the DEM are important factors that affect the model results on tilted surfaces.
Year
DOI
Venue
2013
10.1109/JSTARS.2012.2211000
Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, IEEE Journal of
Keywords
Field
DocType
atmospheric optics,clouds,digital elevation models,modelling,remote sensing,sunlight,topography (earth),beijing case study,dem spatial resolution,earth surface,erjinaqi case study,kunming case study,lhasa case study,modis aqua daily atmospheric products,modis terra daily atmospheric products,srtm dem daily atmospheric products,atmospheric attenuation,climate change,cloud optical thickness data,cloud shadow 3d effects correction,cloudy sky conditions,cloudy sky daily direct solar radiation simulation,ecosystem dynamics,incident solar radiation,parametric model,simulation models,solar radiation spatiotemporal distribution,tilted surfaces,topographic factor 3d effects correction,topography,cloudy skies,dem,direct solar radiation
Atmospheric optics,Meteorology,Optical depth,Parametric model,Terrain,Remote sensing,Shuttle Radar Topography Mission,Sky,Digital elevation model,Temporal resolution,Mathematics
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
6
1
1939-1404
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
2
0.47
3
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Hailong Zhang173.64
Xiaozhou Xin21010.44
Li Li322.16
Qinhuo Liu428085.97