24-10-2012, 05:15 PM
Gamma-Weighted Discrete Ordinate Two-Stream Approximation for Computation of Domain Averaged Solar Irradiance
ABSTRACT
An algorithm is developed for the gamma-weighted discrete ordinate two-stream approximation that computes profiles of
domain-averaged shortwave irradiances for horizontally inhomogeneous cloudy atmospheres. The algorithm assumes that
frequency distributions of cloud optical depth at unresolved scales can be represented by a gamma distribution though it
neglects net horizontal transport of radiation. This algorithm is an alternative to the one used in earlier studies that adopted
the adding method. At present, only overcast cloudy layers are permitted.