Estimating net surface shortwave radiation from Chinese geostationary meteorological satellite FengYun-2D (FY-2D) data under clear sky

Net surface shortwave radiation (NSSR) significantly affects regional and global climate change, and is an important aspect of research on surface radiation budget balance. Many previous studies have proposed methods for estimating NSSR. This study proposes a method to calculate NSSR using FY-2D short-wave channel data. Firstly, a linear regression model is established between the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) broadband albedo (r) and the narrowband reflectivity (rho(1)), based on data simulated with MODTRAN 4.2. Secondly, the relationship between surface absorption coefficient (a(s)) and broadband albedo (r) is determined by dividing the surface type into land, sea, or snow&ice, and NSSR can then be calculated. Thirdly, sensitivity analysis is performed for errors associated with sensor noise, vertically integrated atmospheric water content, view zenith angle and solar zenith angle. Finally, validation using ground measurements is performed. Results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) between the estimated and actual r is less than 0.011 for all conditions, and the RMSEs between estimated and real NSSR are 26.60 W/m(2), 9.99 W/m(2), and 23.40 W/m(2), using simulated data for land, sea, and snow& ice surfaces, respectively. This indicates that the proposed method can be used to adequately estimate NSSR. Additionally, we compare field measurements from TaiYuan and ChangWu ecological stations with estimates using corresponding FY-2D data acquired from January to April 2012, on cloud-free days. Results show that the RMSE between the estimated and actual NSSR is 48.56W/m(2), with a mean error of -2.23W/m(2). Causes of errors also include measurement accuracy and estimations of atmospheric water vertical contents. This method is only suitable for cloudless conditions. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America