An alternative cloud index for estimating downwelling surface solar irradiance from various satellite imagers in the framework of a Heliosat-V method

We develop a new way of retrieving the cloud index from a large variety of satellite instruments sensitive to reflected solar radiation, embedded on geostationary and non-geostationary platforms. The cloud index is a widely used proxy for the effective cloud transmissivity, also called the “clear-sky index”. This study is in the framework of the development of the Heliosat-V method for estimating downwelling solar irradiance at the surface of the Earth (DSSI) from satellite imagery. To reach its versatility, the method uses simulations from a fast radiative transfer model to estimate overcast (cloudy) and clear-sky (cloud-free) satellite scenes of the Earth’s reflectances. Simulations consider the anisotropy of the reflectances caused by both surface and atmosphere and are adapted to the spectral sensitivity of the sensor. The anisotropy of ground reflectances is described by a bidirectional reflectance distribution function model and external satellite-derived data. An implementation of the method is applied to the visible imagery from a Meteosat Second Generation satellite, for 11 locations where high-quality in situ measurements of DSSI are available from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network. For 15 min means of DSSI, results from our preliminary implementation of Heliosat-V and ground-based measurements show a bias of 20 W m−2, a root-mean-square difference of 93 W m−2, and a correlation coefficient of 0.948. The statistics, except for the bias, are similar to operational and corrected satellite-based data products HelioClim3 version 5 and the CAMS Radiation Service.