Objectives

Objectives of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)

The objective of the BSRN is to provide observations of the best possible quality for short- and long-wave surface radiation fluxes with a high sampling rate. These readings are taken from a small number of selected stations, in contrasting climatic zones, together with collocated surface and upper air meteorological data and other supporting observations. The uniform and consistent measurements throughout the BSRN network are used to:
  • monitor the background (least influenced by immediate human activities which are regionally concentrated) short-wave and long-wave radiative components and their changes with the best methods currently available,
  • provide data for the validation and evaluation of satellite-based estimates of the surface radiative fluxes and
  • produce high-quality observational data for comparison to climate model (GCM) calculations and for the development of local regionally representative radiation climatologies.

Objectives of the Word Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC)

The WRMC is run by the Division of Climate Sciences at the Opens external link in new windowAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. The WRMC manages the BSRN database. Its tasks are to:
  • receive data from the BSRN sites and, if the data fulfill the consistency requirements, to insert them into the WRMC,
  • report doubtful values to BSRN stations and respond to queries,
  • update, maintain and safeguard the WRMC,
  • redistribute the data via ftp and the web based Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science Opens external link in new windowPANGAEA,
  • maintain the corresponding web-pages.