"Irradiance variability" refers to the fluctuation or change in the intensity of sunlight or any other form of radiation at a particular location over a period of time. It means that the amount of sunlight or radiation received at that place varies in terms of its strength or brightness, either frequently or at different times.
Full definition
Magnetic field indices derived from synoptic magnetograms of the Mt. Wilson Observatory, i.e. Magnetic Plage Strength Index (MPSI) and Mt. Wilson Sunspot Index (MWSI), are used to study the effects of surface magnetism on total
solar irradiance variability during solar cycles 21, 22 and 23.
The primary known cause of
contemporary irradiance variability is the presence on the Sun s disk of sunspots (compact, dark features where radiation is locally depleted) and faculae (extended bright features where radiation is locally enhanced).
Current understanding of solar physics and the known sources of
irradiance variability suggest comparable irradiance levels during the past two solar cycles, including at solar minima.
We focus on effects of varying solar activity on All Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (AISMR) and try to investigate how much the prediction of AISMR on a seasonal to decadal time scale can be improved by considering the solar
irradiance variability in climate models.
Recent reduced solar irradiance (Fig. 7) may have decreased the forcing over the past decade by about half of the full amplitude of
measured irradiance variability, thus yielding a negative forcing of, say, − 0.12 W / m2.
Soon, W.H. E.S. Posmentier, and S. L. Baliunas, 1996: Inference of solar
irradiance variability from terrestrial temperature changes, 1880 — 1993: An astrophysical application of the sun ‑ climate connection, Astrophysical J. 472: 891 — 902.
Jo's scientific interests include radiative transfer in the atmosphere, climate modelling, radiative forcing of climate change and the influence of solar
irradiance variability on climate.
Recent reduced solar irradiance (Fig. 7) may have decreased the forcing over the past decade by about half of the full amplitude of
measured irradiance variability, thus yielding a negative forcing of, say, − 0.12 W / m2.
Citation: Soon, W.H., E.S. Posmentier, and S.L. Baliunas, 1996: Inference of solar
irradiance variability from terrestrial temperature changes, 1880 - 1993: An astrophysical application of the Sun - climate connection.
We assert that the amount of magnetic energy that remains present (de Wijn et al. 2009) at the surface of a spotless (i.e. quiet) Sun is the main driver of
solar irradiance variability on centennial time scales.
No matter how you mirror it, solar
irradiance variability has long been one of the unhottest fronts of the Climate Wars because:
«The forcings for ECHO - G are selected in advance by (1) choosing the strength and time series of solar
irradiance variability; (2) choosing the strength and time series of volcanic aerosol variability and converting this to a surrogate time series of solar irradiance reductions, which are then added to (1); and (3) choosing the time series of greenhouse gas concentrations.
Ancillary measurements of the atmospheric thermodynamic state and composition are necessary to resolve sources of
irradiance variability.
The choice of the model for the minimum state of the Sun is a crucial point in our technique because it defines the amplitude of the reconstructed solar
irradiance variability.
The quiet Sun is a combination of different brightness components and the evolution of their fractional contributions drives its activity and long - term
irradiance variability.