A Comparative Study on Three Types of Remote Sensing Solar Radiation Products

The verification of remote sensing radiation products mainly focuses on comparative analyses of single products and measured data in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. The lack of comparison between the products make it hard to determine the applicability of these products. Therefore, a systematic comparative study of the applicability of these products in China is conducted in the present study. GEWEX-SRB (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment-Surface Radiation Budget), CERES-EBAF (Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy Systems-Energy Balanced and Filled), and GLASS-DSR (Global LAnd Surface Satellite-Downward Shortwave Radiation) radiation products are chosen to verify their accuracy. The correlation coefficient, the mean bias error, and root mean square error are taken as evaluation indexes, and the accuracy of the temporal and spatial distribution of these products in China is discussed. GEWEX-SRB and CERES-EBAF over the period from 2000 to 2007 are compared and analyzed. Results indicate both of them have the same overestimation and underestimation tendencies. The most severe underestimation and overestimation both occur at Mount Emei Station and Taiyuan Station, and the accuracy of CERES-EBAF is higher than that of GEWEX-SRB. GLASS-DSR and CERES-EBAF over the period from 2008 to 2010 are also compared and analyzed. It is found that CERES-EBAF has a higher accuracy. Overall, these three radiation products all have a high accuracy. The underestimated sites are mostly located at high altitudes. The CERES-EBAF product covers a long time period with a relatively high accuracy, especially in eastern China and most of the coastal region in China.