Publications

Pan, DD; Xu, XJ; Chen, DN (2025). Effects of total cloud cover products on solar radiation estimation based on a radiation transfer model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH, 18(1), 2512608.

Abstract
Global solar radiation (GSR) is the most crucial energy source on Earth, but the effects of cloud on the existing remote sensing inversion of GSR remains uncertain. A simple parameterized radiation transfer model (SPRTM) driven by different cloud products was used to invert the GSR. The relative root mean square error (RMSEr) values of the hourly, daily, monthly, and annual GSR obtained with the SPRTM were 43.92%-54.30%, 27.53%-36.55%, 12.12%-19.66%, and 7.02%-15.08%, respectively. The accuracy of the GSR estimated using the ERA5 cloud product (GSR(TCERA5)) (daily RMSEr of 27.69%) was higher (p < 0.01) than that estimated using the MERRA-2 (daily RMSEr of 36.55%) and ISCCP (daily RMSEr of 34.26%) cloud products. GSR(TCERA5) produced underestimations, whereas MERRA-2 GSR product produced overestimations. Merging GSR(TCERA5) with the MERRA-2 GSR product increased the GSR estimate accuracy. The accuracy of the GSR estimates decreased with increasing cloud cover. The GSR was over- and underestimated under low and high cloud cover, respectively. The accuracy of the GSR estimates in the middle latitudes was higher than that in the high and low latitudes. The results of this study provide a feasible method for accurately inverting GSR and determining the influence of cloud cover on GSR estimation.

DOI:
10.1080/17538947.2025.2512608

ISSN:
1753-8955