A new observational solar irradiance composite

Margit Haberreiter (1) , Micha Schöll (1, 2) , Thierry Dudok de Wit (2) , Matthieu Kretzschmar (2) , Stergios Misios (3) , Kleareti Tourpali (3) , Werner Schmutz (1)

1 PMOD/WRC - Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Center
2 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
3 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Variations in the solar spectral irradiance (SSI) are an important driver of the chemistry, temperature, and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere and ultimately the Earth's climate. To investigate the detailed response of the Earth's atmosphere to SSI variations, a reliable SSI data set is needed. We present an observational SSI composite data set that is based on 20 instruments and has been built by using probabilistic approach that takes into account the scale‐dependent uncertainty of each available SSI observation. We compare the variability of this new composite with available SSI reconstructions and discuss the respective modeled responses in the Earth's atmosphere. As the composite is based on purely statistical means, we consider it as a valuable independent data set.

Domains: Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Space Physics [physics.space-ph]

Margit Haberreiter, Micha Schöll, Thierry Dudok de Wit, Matthieu Kretzschmar, Stergios Misios, et al.. A new observational solar irradiance composite. Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, 2017, 122 (6), pp.5910-5930. ⟨10.1002/2016JA023492⟩. ⟨insu-01898880⟩