Abstract
Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CMSAF) data have been studied in the Czech Republic for approximately 10 years. Initially, validation studies were conducted, particularly regarding the incoming solar radiation product and cloudiness data. The main focus of these studies was the surface incoming shortwave (SIS) radiation data. This paper first briefly describes the validation of CMSAF SIS data for the period of 1989–2009. The main focus is on the use and possible applications of CMSAF data. It is shown that maps of SIS radiation in combination with surface data may be useful for solar power plant operators as well as for assessing the climate variability in the Czech Republic during different years and seasons. This demonstrates that the CMSAF data can improve our understanding of local climate, especially in regions lacking traditional surface observations and/or in border regions with a scarcity of stations in the neighboring countryside. Furthermore, data from the recently released SARAH (Surface Solar Radiation Data Set-Heliosat) dataset (1983–2013) are also briefly described and their use for trend computing is demonstrated. Finally, an outlook is given in terms of further possibilities for using CMSAF data in the Czech Republic.
Highlights
Traditional observations of meteorological elements provide high-quality data but fairly low spatial representativeness, especially for high variability variables
When comparing trends measured at surface stations with those derived from CMSAF, very similar values can be seen (Table 2), and this is in line with previous studies [11]
As previously mentioned in the introduction, we focused on selected cloudiness products provided by CMSAF, especially the Cloud Fractional Cover (CFC)
Summary
Traditional observations of meteorological elements provide high-quality data but fairly low spatial representativeness, especially for high variability variables. In the beginning of 2015, a new set of long-term data records of surface incoming shortwave radiation, SARAH (Surface Solar Radiation Data Set-Heliosat), was released [10] This set provides data for the period of 1983 to 2013, including the monthly, daily, and even hourly averages in a regular longitude/latitude grid at a resolution of 0.05°×0.05°. Because of a partial interconnection between the solar radiation and cloudiness data, we have focused on selected cloudiness products provided by CMSAF Sometimes it is more convenient and even precise to work with the sunshine duration to establish the average cloudiness during the day than directly using the cloudiness measurement. We have paid special attention to cloudiness products of the cloud fractional cover (CFC) and cloud type (CTY) [12]
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