Parameterizations of surface radiation in the semiarid grasslands of Inner Mongolia under clear-sky conditions using MODIS data

A set of improved and efficient radiation parameterization schemes for surface radiation balance components under clearsky conditions was developed by using general surface measurements and MODIS data. The set of schemes was then adapted for regions similar to the present study sites under different grazing intensities and varying degrees of drought in the semiarid grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Specifically, we mainly improved two schemes for estimating downward shortwave and longwave radiation at the surface, which could be applied to regions with certain degrees of drought. The validation datasets were from ground-based observations at various grazing sites during the growing season (May to September) of different drought years, 2005 and 2006. Through comparisons of parameterized versus measured radiation values, the increased or modified factors in the original schemes demonstrated improved estimation accuracy, and the rationalities of input parameters and variables were analyzed. The regional instantaneous net radiation estimations had root-mean-square errors of less than 30 Wm−2 compared with ground measurements at the sites during the study period. The statistical results showed the improved schemes are suitable for estimating surface net radiation in regional semiarid areas during the growing season. Analyses of the sensitivity of the schemes to corresponding variables were conducted to ascertain the major error sources of the schemes and potential variables for improving the performance of the schemes in agreement with observations.