Hourly Downward Longwave Irradiance from Meteosat Satellite

Hourly estimates of Downward Longwave Irradiance (DLI) reaching the Earth's surface, derived from the Meteosat geostationary satellite's SEVIRI instrument. The data is produced by EUMETSAT using a bulk parameterization algorithm that combines clear-sky DLI from NWP models with satellite-derived cloud corrections. Products are interpolated to rounded Universal Time hours and remapped onto a 0.05-degree regular grid.

Use Cases

• Analyze DLI trends over time using the hourly temporal resolution for climate studies.
• Validate numerical weather prediction (NWP) model outputs against the satellite-derived DLI estimates.
• Study cloud radiative effects by comparing the clear-sky DLI with the cloud-corrected final product.
• Map spatial patterns of surface longwave radiation using the 0.05-degree gridded data over the Meteosat coverage area.
• Investigate diurnal cycles of surface energy fluxes using the hourly, time-interpolated data.

Strengths

• Data is derived from the operational SEVIRI instrument on the geostationary Meteosat satellite, providing consistent observation.
• Products are interpolated to precise hourly timestamps (rounded UT hours) for temporal homogeneity.
• Spatial data is remapped to a standardized 0.05-degree regular latitude-longitude grid.

Limitations

• The pixel observation time for the raw satellite data varies by approximately 12 minutes from north to south, requiring interpolation.
• Specific temporal coverage, data volume (row count), and update frequency are not provided in the source description.
• The algorithm's dependency on NWP model outputs may introduce biases from those models.

Provenance

Source

EUMETSAT, derived from the Meteosat satellite's SEVIRI instrument.

Collection Method

Derived via a bulk parameterization algorithm using NWP model outputs for clear-sky DLI, corrected with satellite-derived cloud information.

Geography

Coverage area of the Meteosat geostationary satellite (primarily Europe, Africa, and parts of the Atlantic).