Kipp&Zonen BSRN Scientific Solar Monitoring System - Manual (Page 13)

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Figure 1.1. Map of BSRN sites.
Baseline Surface Radiation Network
Operations Manual
(Version 2.1)
1.0 Introduction
The determ ination of a global clim atology of the radiation budget at the surface of the Earth is
fundam ental to understanding the Earth’s clim ate system , clim ate variability and clim ate change
resulting from hum an influence. Global estim ates of the surface radiation budget cannot be inferred
reliably from satellite observations without high accuracy surface-based m easurem ents at various
sites in contrasting clim atic regions for calibration and validation. Long-term observations of the sam e
accuracy are also required to assess trends within clim atic regions. Such m easurem ents are
essential in assessing theoretical treatm ents of radiative transfer in the atm osphere, verifying clim ate
m odel com putations, and for studying trends in surface radiation at scales sm aller than norm ally
associated with clim atic regions.
To m eet these requirem ents, the W orld Clim ate Research Program m e (W CRP), jointly sponsored
by the W orld Meteorological Organization (W MO), the International Council of Scientific Unions
(ICSU) and the Intergovernm ental Oceanographic C om m ission (IOC) of UNESCO initiated (and is
organizing the im plem entation of) the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). The goal of this
network is to provide continuous, long-term , frequently sam pled, state-of-the-art m easurem ents of
surface radiation fluxes adhering to the highest achievable standards of m easurem ent procedures,
calibration and accuracy. Many nations have expressed strong interest in participating in the BSRN
and a range of stations as diverse as the Arctic, m id-latitude forested and plain areas, high m ountain
regions, tropical rainforest, desert, tropical islands have been established or are in the process of
being installed. Figure 1.1 and Table 1.1 provide a list of locations of operating and potential BSRN
stations. A continuously updated listing of sites can be found on the BSRN Archive website
www.ethz.ch.
The operation of each station, or group of stations, is m anaged by a qualified scientist who has
expertise in the m easurem ent of radiation. Som e sites have been specifically established for m aking
m easurem ents to determ ine local clim ate trends and provide accurate ground-truth for satellite
observations. Other sites have been observing radiation com ponents for years, but have been
enhanced to m eet the accuracy and resolution objectives of the BSRN. Som e sites were m ade part
of the BSRN because of their im portance with respect to clim ate or geography although they did not
fully conform to the standards set out by the BSRN at the tim e. These observatories were given until
1997 to upgrade to m eet the specifications as originally adopted and then set forth in the