The annual march of the topoclimatic spatial patterns of net radiation in southern California

Abstract

SummaryA previously determined model [9], based on the theoretical knowledge of the physical modifications of solar energy by the atmosphere and its transformation at the surface, has been used to determine the monthly distribution of net radiation in southern California at a topoclimatic scale. Parameters utilized in the equations were cloud cover, cloud type, surface albedo, precipitable water vapor, surface temperature, slope angle, slope orientation, elevation, and urban smog. A remarkable contrast was found between relatively high net radiation values for the littoral and coastal mountains and those of the lower values of the arid eastern parts of southern California.

GOES‐derived fog and low cloud indices for coastal north and central California ecological analyses

“…We were motivated to produce these data to satisfy the high demand from many different sectors for an easy to use data set that captures the influence of FLC and the complex topoclimatic patterns of the California coastal terrain [ Terjung et al , ] for numerical analysis of coastal ecosystem processes. Unlike the current NOAA fog products that are based on absolute thresholds to differentiate low clouds from land and ocean, these data were derived using relative thresholds along both spatial and temporal dimensions, a more computationally demanding approach.…”

“…The coastal mountains add terrain complexity to the air‐ocean‐land system [ Dorman et al , ]. The variations in elevation and slope steepness, low‐lying gaps that funnel winds, and differential heating of north versus south facing slopes modify the temperature and pressure gradients that form, move, and dissipate FLC [ Terjung et al , ; Filonczuk et al , ; Koračin et al , , ; Taylor et al , ; Nicholson , ].…”