VIIRS/JPSS1 Daily Global Downward Shortwave Radiation at 0.05 Degree Resolution

NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Downward Shortwave Radiation (DSR) Level 3 Climate Modeling Grid product provides daily incident solar radiation over land surfaces in the shortwave spectrum (300-4,000 nanometers). The VJ118 algorithm uses a narrowband look-up table approach considering aerosols, clouds, and geometry to estimate DSR. The data is aggregated from VJ118A1 files to include global 3-hour and daily mean DSR variables at a 0.05 degree pixel resolution.

Use Cases

• Modeling land surface energy budgets based on daily incident solar radiation data.
• Assessing solar energy potential for site selection based on shortwave radiation measurements.
• Analyzing the impact of aerosols and clouds on surface radiation based on the algorithm's consideration of these factors.
• Validating and improving climate models using global, gridded shortwave radiation estimates.

Strengths

• Provides data at a high spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees.
• Includes both 3-hourly and daily aggregated variables for temporal analysis.
• Algorithm considers multiple atmospheric conditions including aerosols and clouds.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD) is noted as forthcoming, indicating incomplete methodological documentation.

Provenance

Source

LPCLOUD, derived from NOAA-20 VIIRS satellite data.

Collection Method

Produced using the VJ118 algorithm, which adapts a narrowband look-up table approach.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not specified in the provided input.

Freshness

Update frequency or recency is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Global coverage.