Downwelling Surface SW Fluxes - MSG

Abstract:
The down-welling surface short-wave radiation flux (DSSF) refers to the radiative energy in the wavelength interval [0.3 microns, 4.0 microns] reaching the Earth's surface per time and surface unit. It essentially depends on the solar zenith angle, on cloud coverage, and to a lesser extent on atmospheric absorption and surface albedo. DSSF fields are crucial for a wide number of applications involving scientific domains like weather forecast, hydrology, climate, agriculture and environment-related studies. In numerical weather prediction and general circulation models of the atmosphere, satellite-derived DSSF estimates can either be used as a control variable or as a substitute to surface radiation measurement networks. Two products are operationally available, the first is available every 30 minutes and the second is a composite daily product (See distribution for details).