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Comparison of ocean surface solar irradiance in the GLA General Circulation Model and satellite-based calculationsA global, 7-year satellite-based record of ocean surface solar irradiance (SSI) is used to assess the realism of ocean SSI simulated by the nine-layer Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres (GLA) General Circulation Model (GCM). January and July climatologies of net SSI produced by the model are compared with corresponding satellite climatologies for the world oceans between 54 deg N and 54 deg S. This comparison of climatologies indicates areas of strengths and weaknesses in the GCM treatment of cloud-radiation interactions, the major source of model uncertainty. Realism of ocean SSI is also important for applications such as incorporating the GLA GCM into a coupled ocean-atmosphere GCM. The results show that the GLA GCM simulates too much SSI in the extratropics and too little in the tropics, especially in the summer hemisphere. These discrepancies reach magnitudes of 60 W/sq m and more. The discrepancies are particularly large in the July case off the western coast of North America. Positive and negative discrepancies in SSI are shown to be consistent with discrepancies in planetary albedo.
Document ID
19930050978
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Chertock, Beth
(NOAA, Wave Propagation Lab. Boulder, CO, United States)
Sud, Y. C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Climate
Volume: 6
Issue: 3
ISSN: 0894-8755
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Accession Number
93A34975
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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