Do Satellites Detect Trends in Surface Solar Radiation?

@article{Pinker2005DoSD,
  title={Do Satellites Detect Trends in Surface Solar Radiation?},
  author={Rachel T. Pinker and B. Zhang and Ellsworth G. Dutton},
  journal={Science},
  year={2005},
  volume={308},
  pages={850 - 854}
}
Long-term variations in solar radiation at Earth's surface (S) can affect our climate, the hydrological cycle, plant photosynthesis, and solar power. Sustained decreases in S have been widely reported from about the year 1960 to 1990. Here we present an estimate of global temporal variations in S by using the longest available satellite record. We observed an overall increase in S from 1983 to 2001 at a rate of 0.16 watts per square meter (0.10%) per year; this change is a combination of a… Expand
View on AAAS
tallbloke.files.wordpress.com
407 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
37
Background Citations
145
Methods Citations
33
Results Citations
18

407 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Atmospheric impacts on climatic variability of surface incident solar radiation
The Earth's climate is driven by surface incident solar radiation (Rs). Direct measurements have shown that Rs has undergone significant decadal variations. However, a large fraction of the global… Expand
A cloud-based reconstruction of surface solar radiation trends for Australia
SummaryDespite its importance to climate change, reliable and calibrated measurements of solar radiation are available only after 1992 for Australia. In this study we extend the data base from 1967… Expand
Trends in downward surface solar radiation from satellites and ground observations over Europe during 1983–2010
Abstract Trends of all-sky downward surface solar radiation (SSR) from satellite-derived data over Europe (1983–2010) are first presented. The results show a widespread (i.e., non-local dimension)… Expand
Interannual solar and net radiation trends in the Canadian Arctic
[1] Net and solar radiation trends over the past half-century at Alert and Resolute Bay, Nunavut, are presented and analyzed. Substantive changes to the Canadian Arctic climate are observed over the… Expand
Varying trends in surface energy fluxes and associated climate between 1960-2002 based on transient climate simulations
The observed reduction in land surface radiation over the last several decades (1960-1990)---the so-called dimming effect --- and the more recent evidence of a reversal in dimming over some locations… Expand
Consistency of global satellite-derived aerosol and cloud data sets with recent brightening observations
[1] Solar radiation at the Earth surface has increased over land and ocean since about 1990 (‘global brightening’). An analysis of various global (ocean only) aerosol and (global) cloud data sets… Expand
Surface insolation trends from satellite and ground measurements: Comparisons and challenges
[1] Global “dimming” and “brightening,” the decrease and subsequent increase in solar downwelling flux reaching the surface observed in many locations over the past several decades, and related… Expand
From Dimming to Brightening: Decadal Changes in Solar Radiation at Earth's Surface
TLDR
Newly available surface observations from 1990 to the present, primarily from the Northern Hemisphere, show that the dimming at land surfaces did not persist into the 1990s, and instead, a widespread brightening has been observed since the late 1980s. Expand
Decadal variations in surface solar irradiance as observed in a globally remote network
[1] Twenty-eight years (1977–2004) of surface solar irradiance observations at five remote climate observatories are analyzed for long-term temporal variations and spatial representativeness.… Expand
Trends in Radiative Fluxes Over the Indian Region
The amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface is a major component of the surface energy balance and drives a large number of diverse surface as well as atmospheric processes. Over… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 52 REFERENCES
Changes in Earth's Reflectance over the Past Two Decades
TLDR
An overlapping period of earthshine measurements of Earth's reflectance with satellite observations of global cloud properties to construct from the latter a proxy measure of Earth’s global shortwave reflectance, which shows a steady decrease from 1984 to 2000, with a strong climatologically significant drop after 1995. Expand
Evidence for Large Decadal Variability in the Tropical Mean Radiative Energy Budget
TLDR
New evidence is presented that the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) tropical radiative energy budget is much more dynamic and variable than previously thought and the results indicate that the radiation budget changes are caused by changes in tropical mean cloudiness. Expand
Recent Trends in Arctic Surface, Cloud, and Radiation Properties from Space
Trends in satellite-derived cloud and surface properties for 1982 to 1999 show that the Arctic has warmed and become cloudier in spring and summer but has cooled and become less cloudy in winter. The… Expand
Greenhouse forcing outweighs decreasing solar radiation driving rapid temperature rise over land
[1] Since 1988, surface temperature over land in Europe increased three times faster than the northern hemisphere average. Here we contrast surface climatic and radiative parameters measured in… Expand
Observed reductions of surface solar radiation at sites in the United States and worldwide from 1961 to 1990
[1] Surface solar radiation revealed an estimated 7 W/m 2 or 4% decline at sites worldwide from 1961 to 1990. Here I find that the strongest declines occurred in the United States sites with 19 W/m 2… Expand
On the consistency of trends in radiation and temperature records and implications for the global hydrological cycle
[1] Several studies indicate that incident shortwave radiation at land surfaces has significantly decreased between 1960 and 1990. Despite this, land temperature has increased by 0.4°C over the same… Expand
Higher northern latitude normalized difference vegetation index and growing season trends from 1982 to 1999
TLDR
The authors' results support surface temperature increases within the same period at higher northern latitudes where temperature limits plant growth. Expand
Trends in solar radiation over Germany and an assessment of the role of aerosols and sunshine duration
Summary¶Global, diffuse, and horizontal direct (beam) irradiances have been evaluated for 13 stations in Germany where the time series vary between 11 and 48 years. Global irradiance has decreased… Expand
Aerosols, Climate, and the Hydrological Cycle
TLDR
Human activities are releasing tiny particles (aerosols) into the atmosphere that enhance scattering and absorption of solar radiation, which can lead to a weaker hydrological cycle, which connects directly to availability and quality of fresh water, a major environmental issue of the 21st century. Expand
Analysis of phenological change patterns using 1982–2000 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data
Using the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Pathfinder Land dataset (PAL data) from 1982–2000, vegetation phenology (onset, peak… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...