The phrase "surface insolation" refers to the amount of sunlight or solar energy that reaches the Earth's surface. It helps measure the amount of solar radiation or heat coming from the Sun that directly impacts the ground. Full definition
Trends in climate variables and their interrelationships over China are examined using a combination of observations and global climate model simulations to elucidate the mechanism for producing an observed 1 °C increase in surface temperature despite a significant decrease in surface insolation from 1950 to 2000. (pubs.giss.nasa.gov)
Soot and haze in the air already reduce surface insolation up to 10 % in some places, an effect said to mitigate the warming effect of greenhouse gases. (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)
Fuel efficiency drops a bit, but you have a low - cost way of adjusting surface insolation. (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)