Surface Solar Radiation: Role in Global Warming

Chapters: 1. Introduction (Dr. Wang) 2. Determining Factors of surface solar radiation (Dr. Zhao) 3. Radiometers for surface solar radiation measurements (Dr. Wang) 4. History of radiometers and their calibrations (Dr. Wild) 5. Global distribution of surface solar radiation (Dr. Wang) 6. Decadal variability of global surface solar radiation (Drs. Sanchez-Lorenzo, Wang, Wild) 7. Contribution of surface solar radiation to global warming (Drs. Wild, Wang) 8. Solar radiation management to mitigate global warming (Dr. Moore) Working Table of Contents or Outline of contents 1. Introduction, brief introduction to the book. 2. Determining Factors of surface solar radiation. This chapter covers the basic concepts and theories of atmospheric radiation and atmospheric radiation transfer, introduces the influencing factors to solar radiation reaching the surface, and discusses the potential impacts caused by these factors. It will include a discussion on factors impacting the surface solar radiation, including but not limited to total solar irradiance, sun position, clouds, aerosols, water vapor and O3. It will also discuss the Rayleigh scattering . 3. Radiometers for surface solar radiation measurements, this chapter include a introduction of commercial radiometers, pyranometers (Solid black pyranometers, Black-white pyranometers, and photodiode-based pyranometers), pyrheliometers. Their possible uncertainty will be discussed, including thermal offset, cosine response errors, azimuth errors, nonlinearity (this chapter focus on concepts). Introduction of solar trackers to carry the instruments for measuring direct and diffuse solar radiation will be also included. 4. History of radiometers and their calibrations, it will include a history of commercial radiometers and their uncertainty. This chapter will also include information on evolution of the standard instruments for calibrations and calibration methods (the establishment of world radiometer reference group (WRR), and Baseline Surface Radiation Networks (BSRN)). 5. Global distribution of surface solar radiation. This chapter introduces satellite retrievals, and model simulations of surface solar radiation and how to use different estimates to provide best estimate of global and regional distribution and means of surface solar radiation. 6. Decadal variability of global surface solar radiation. This chapter will compare different estimates to provide a best estimate of decadal variability of regional and global surface solar radiation. It will discuss the inhomogeneity of observed solar radiation data and their homogenization. It also provides a discussion of how to estimate surface solar radiation from sunshine duration and its advantages in decadal variability. It also includes a discussion on inhomogeneity of satellite retrievals and model simulations (including reanalyses and climate model simulations). 7. Contribution of surface solar radiation to global warming. This chapter will also introduce contributions of the solar radiation distributions to global atmospheric circulations and regional climate. It will cover the contribution of the decadal variability of surface solar radiation to global warming. 8. Solar radiation management to mitigate global warming. This chapter will include a discussion on solar radiation management to mitigate global warming and its possible side effect. Preliminary list of possible contributors to the project and their academic affiliations (for edited project)Dr. Martin Wild (Professor, ETH Zurich, Switzerland); Dr. Chuanfeng Zhao (Professor, Beijing Normal University, China); Dr. Arturo Sanchez-Lorenzo (Postdoctoral researcher, University of Girona, Spain); Dr. John Moore (Professor, chief scientist, Beijing Normal University)