GEWEXSRB_Rel4-IP_Shortwave_3hrly: Global Shortwave Radiation Fluxes

GEWEXSRB_Rel4-IP_Shortwave_3hrly contains 11 shortwave radiative parameters for surface and Top of Atmosphere conditions, derived from satellite data. The dataset provides 3-hourly global fields from July 1983 through June 2017, including all-sky, clear-sky, and pristine-sky fluxes, surface PAR, cloud fraction, and solar geometry. Inputs incorporate cloud, water vapor, aerosol, and ozone data from projects like ISCCP and SORCE.

Use Cases

• Validating climate model shortwave radiation components using the all-sky and clear-sky flux fields.
• Analyzing trends in surface Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) for ecological studies.
• Studying cloud radiative effects by comparing all-sky and pristine-sky downward surface fluxes.
• Assessing solar energy potential using global surface downward shortwave radiation data.

Strengths

• Provides a long-term, consistent record covering 34 years from July 1983 to June 2017.
• Integrates multiple authoritative input sources including ISCCP, SORCE TIM, and MAC V1 aerosols.
• Includes multiple flux conditions (all-sky, clear-sky, pristine-sky) for detailed analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not specified in the provided metadata.
• The 'last updated' date of 2026-04-10 on Data.gov is inconsistent with the described temporal range ending in 2017, suggesting metadata may not reflect actual data freshness.
• License is specified only as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

NASA World Climate Research Programme/Global Energy and Water-Cycle Experiment (WCRP/GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Project.

Collection Method

Derived using the Shortwave algorithm from satellite-based inputs including ISCCP HXS cloud data, ISCCP nnHIRS water vapor, SORCE TIM solar irradiance, and MAC V1 aerosols.

Time Range

July 1983 through June 2017.

Freshness

Last updated metadata date is 2026-04-10, but data collection is complete for the period ending June 2017.

Geography

Global.