A Simple Method of Estimating Photosynthetically Active Radiation at the Earth's Surface from Satellite
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Date
1990-02-12
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Citation of Original Publication
Eck, Thomas, and Dennis Dye. “A Simple Method of Estimating Photosynthetically Active Radiation at the Earth’s Surface from Satellite.” Optical Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere (1990), Paper MD11, February 12, 1990, MD11. https://doi.org/10.1364/ORSA.1990.MD11.
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This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
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Public Domain
Abstract
A physically based method of estimating the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) incident at the earth's surface is described. Ultraviolet reflectivity, inferred from the Total Ozone Monitoring Spectrometer (TOMS) onboard the polar orbiting Nimbus-7 satellite, is used to account for the effect of cloud albedo on the attenuation of PAR incident at the surface. The clear sky incident radiation for the PAR wavelengths (400-700 nm) is computed from the spectral model of Goldberg and Klein (1980). Monthly averages of incident PAR at the surface estimated from the satellite method differed from estimates of PAR from ground pyranometers by less than 6%. This method of PAR estimation can be applied globally over snow and ice free areas.