Net Downward PAR Solar Irradiance for Australia from Himawari Satellites

A source of the net downward Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) surface solar irradiance, calculated as the difference between downwelling and upwelling irradiance over the 400-700 nm spectral range. It is generated for daytime imagery from the Himawari-8/9 satellites using the Qin et al. (2021a) algorithm, covering the Australian continent and surrounding waters. The data is available in a regular latitude/longitude grid and the original geostationary projection.

Use Cases

• Model terrestrial ecosystem productivity by analyzing the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) irradiance over the Australian continent.
• Validate and calibrate satellite-derived solar irradiance algorithms using the Qin et al. (2021a) method for the 400-700 nm spectral range.
• Study diurnal and seasonal patterns of net downward irradiance for the Australian region from Himawari-8/9 geostationary imagery.
• Assess surface albedo and energy budget components by examining the difference between downwelling and reflected upwelling irradiance.

Strengths

• Data is generated using a peer-reviewed algorithm (Qin et al., 2021a) documented in the scientific literature.
• Covers the Australian continent and surrounding waters, providing regional spatial coverage.
• Available in multiple projections, including a regular latitude/longitude grid and the original Himawari geostationary projection.
• Dataset metadata was last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to daytime imagery only, with no coverage for nighttime periods.
• Access requires contacting the authors and retrieving data from the Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), which may be a barrier.
• Primary file formats are HTML, PNG, and WMS, which may not be ideal for bulk quantitative analysis compared to structured scientific data formats.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery, via data.gov.au.

Collection Method

Generated from Himawari-8/9 satellite imagery using the Qin et al. (2021a) algorithm.

Time Range

Covers the operational period of Himawari-8/9 satellites; specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

Metadata last updated 2026-03-20. A near-real-time processor is under development to improve availability.

Geography

Australian continent and surrounding waters.