Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)

About BSRN:

Because of the important role radiation plays in the climate system, BSRN was established to provide a worldwide network to continuously measure radiative fluxes at the Earth's surface. Many of these stations began operation in 1992 and each year more stations are added to the network. These stations provide data for the calibration of the Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Project and other satellite-based measurements of radiative fluxes. BSRN data are also used to validate radiative flux models. As of June 2008 there are 43 stations providing data to the BSRN archive located at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. In 2004, the Joint Planning Staff (JPS) for the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) endorsed BSRN as the global surface radiation network for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

• Monitor the background shortwave and longwave radiative components (least influenced by immediate human activities which are regionally concentrated) and their changes with the best methods currently available.
• Provide data for the calibration of satellite-based estimates of the surface radiative fluxes.
• Produce high quality observational data to be used for validating the theoretical computations of radiative fluxes by models.

Existing and Planned BSRN Stations as of June 2008

• BSRN-9 Report

• BSRN-10 Workshop Report (November 2008 GEWEX News)
• BSRN-10 Listing of Participants
• BSRN-10 Meeting Agenda (with hyperlinks to presentations)
• BSRN Working Groups

BSRN Points of Contact

BSRN Project Manager
Dr. Ellsworth G. Dutton
NOAA/GMD
Boulder, Colorado, USA

BSRN Science Chair
Dr. Christian Kummerow
Colorado State University
Ft. Collins, Colorado