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METEOSAT observations of diurnal variation of radiation budget parameters

Nature volume 283, pages 645–647 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

Preliminary estimates of the outgoing IR flux and albedo obtained at hourly intervals, during one day, using digital METEOSAT data are reported here. The diurnal variation of these parameters varied according to the surface or cloud type over which they were being measured. The albedo over the desert, and both high and low clouds, remained constant, but altered over the sea surface. The emitted IR flux was constant over sea surfaces and low clouds, but altered over the desert during the day, due to surface heating. These diurnal variations can introduce biasing errors into time averaged radiation budget parameters, derived from polar orbiter data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Planetary Atmospheres, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    R. W. Saunders & G. E. Hunt

Authors
  1. R. W. Saunders
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  2. G. E. Hunt
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Saunders, R., Hunt, G. METEOSAT observations of diurnal variation of radiation budget parameters. Nature 283, 645–647 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283645a0

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