Net Downward Solar Irradiance for Australia from Himawari Satellites

The net downward total surface solar irradiance, calculated as the difference between downwelling and upwelling irradiance integrated over the 300 to 3500 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

• Estimate solar energy potential across the Australian continent using the net downward irradiance values.
• Analyze spatial and temporal patterns of surface solar irradiance for meteorological modeling.
• Validate and calibrate radiative transfer models using the integrated spectral range (300 to 3500 nm) data.
• Monitor changes in reflected irradiance (upwelling) from surfaces like water or land.

Strengths

• Derived from Himawari-8/9 geostationary satellite imagery, providing consistent spatial coverage.
• Generated using a peer-reviewed algorithm (Qin et al., 2021a) documented in the Solar Energy journal.
• Covers the Australian continent and surrounding waters, a defined geographic region.
• Available in both a regular latitude/longitude grid and the original satellite projection for flexibility.

Limitations

• Data access requires contacting the authors and is hosted on the Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), which may involve a request process.
• The dataset is described as part of a collection where a near-real-time processor is 'being developed', suggesting current availability may not be real-time.
• The description focuses on methodology and availability, with no provided sample data, column details, or explicit row/volume metrics to assess scale.

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 for surface solar irradiance.

Freshness

The metadata was last updated on 2026-03-20, indicating active maintenance.

Geography

Australian continent and surrounding waters.