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Regional Climatology and Surface Radiation BudgetThe climatology and surface radiation budget (SRB) of a region are intimately related. This paper presents a brief examination of this relationship. An 8-year surface radiation budget data set has been developed based on satellite measurements. In that data set and in this paper a region is defined as a quasi-square 2.5o in latitude and approximately the same physical distance in longitude. A pilot study by Wilber et al. (1998) showed a variety of behaviors of the annual cycles for selected regions. Selected desert regions form a loop in a specific part of the plot, with large NLW and large NSW. Tropical wet regions form much smaller loops in a different part of the plot, with small NLW and large NSW. For regions selected in high latitude the annual cycles form nearly linear figures in another part of the plot. The question arises as to whether these trajectories are characteristic of the climatology of the region or simply the behavior of the few regions selected from the set of 6596 regions. In order to address this question, it is necessary to classify the climatology of the each region, e.g. as classified by Koeppen (1936) or Trenwarthe and Horne (1980). This paper presents a method of classifying climate of the regions on the basis of the surface radiation behavior such that the results are very similar to the classification of Trenwarthe and Horne. The characteristics of the annual cycle of SRB components can then be investigated further, based on the climate classification of each region.
Document ID
20040086571
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Wilber, Anne C. (Analytical Services and Materials, Inc. United States)
Smith, G. Louis (Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. Blacksburg, VA, United States)
Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS1-19579
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG1-1959
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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