Shortwave Radiation Budgets at Surface and in the Atmosphere Derived from 5 Years of ERBE Measurements

They are derived from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) data set S-4 and the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis archive using the algorithm proposed by Li et al (1993).

There are three input parameters: reflected flux or albedo on the top of the atmosphere, vertically integrated water vapor content and the solar zenith angle. S-4 data provides monthly-mean reflected fluxes and albedo on the top of the atmosphere at 2.5 X 2.5 degrees of latitude/longitude. Precipitable water is obtained from ECMWF data by vertical integration of humidity analyses from the bottom to the top of the atmosphere.