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Planetary radiation budget over North Africa from satellite data

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Summary

The large desert regions over North Africa are of particular importance to our climate and are therefore modelled numerically as part of sensitivity studies. The result of these models needs verification, but diagnostic studies of atmospheric energetics also require accurate values of the radiation budget at the upper boundary of the climate system.

The radiation “anomaly” above Northern Africa is now established from various satellite data. However, it is suspected that there are serious errors caused in particular by angular and temporal sampling. A sample of NIMBUS-7 ERB—measurements (16.–30. June 1979) was therefore reanalysed, including the missing diurnal cycle which was reconstructed from the corresponding METEOSAT measurements. These more complete data on diurnal cycles change the results on outgoing thermal fluxes and net radiation by up to almost 60 Wm−2, thus changes of the sign of net radiation also occur over several regions.

Zusammenfassung

Die ausgedehnten Wüstengebiete in Nordafrika sind von großer Wichtigkeit für unser Klima und daher Gegenstand zahlreicher numerischer Empfindlichkeitsstudien. Entsprechende Modellergebnisse können mit Hilfe von Messungen der Strahlungsbilanz am Oberrand der Atmosphäre verifiziert werden. Messungen dienen aber auch als Eingangsdaten für diagnostische Untersuchungen der Energietransporte in der Atmosphäre.

Die „Strahlungsanomalität“ über Nordafrika ist mittlerweile durch zahlreiche Satellitenmessungen bestätigt. Jedoch beinhalten ältere Studien z.T. Fehler auf Grund der Nichtberücksichtigung der speziellen Eigenschaften der Stichprobenentnahme durch das Satelliteninstrument. Aus diesem Grund wurde ein Datensatz des NIMBUS-7 ERB Experimentes (16.–30. Juni 1979) neu ausgewertet unter zusätzlicher Verwendung von METEOSAT-1-Messungen, um den Tagesgang der Strahlungsparameter berücksichtigen zu können. Diese zusätzlichen Daten bewirken Änderungen im kurz- und langwelligen Fluß sowie in dem daraus resultierenden Nettofluß von bis zu 60 Wm−2, was für einige Gebiete eine Vorzeichenumkehr des Nettoflusses bedeutet.

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  1. M. Wiegner

    Present address: Meteorologisches Institut, Universität München, Federal Republic of Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität Köln, Köln, Federal Republic of Germany

    M. Wiegner & E. Raschke

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  1. M. Wiegner
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Wiegner, M., Raschke, E. Planetary radiation budget over North Africa from satellite data. Theor Appl Climatol 38, 24–36 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00866250

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00866250

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