Estimation of hourly solar radiation at the surface under cloudless conditions on the Tibetan Plateau using a simple radiation model

In this study, the clear sky hourly global and net solar irradiances at the surface determined using SUNFLUX, a simple parameterization scheme, for three stations (Gaize, Naqu, and Lhasa) on the Tibetan Plateau were evaluated against observation data. Our modeled results agree well with observations. The correlation coefficients between modeled and observed values were > 0.99 for all three stations. The relative error of modeled results, in average was < 7%, and the root-mean-square variance was < 27 W m(-2). The solar irradiances in the radiation model were slightly overestimated compared with observation data; there were at least two likely causes. First, the radiative effects of aerosols were not included in the radiation model. Second, solar irradiances determined by thermopile pyranometers include a thermal offset error that causes solar radiation to be slightly underestimated. The solar radiation absorbed by the ozone and water vapor was estimated. The results show that monthly mean solar radiation absorbed by the ozone is < 2% of the global solar radiation (< 14 W m(-2)). Solar radiation absorbed by water vapor is stronger in summer than in winter. The maximum amount of monthly mean solar radiation absorbed by water vapor can be up to 13% of the global solar radiation (95 W m(-2)). This indicates that water vapor measurements with high precision are very important for precise determination of solar radiation.