Impacts of DEM geolocation bias on downward surface shortwave radiation estimation over clear-sky rugged terrain: A case study in Dayekou Basin, China

Abstract

Accurately estimating the spatial-temporal distribution of downward surface shortwave radiation (DSSR) is essential for terrestrial ecological modeling and climate change research. The accurate georegistration of digital elevation model (DEM) has become one of the significant bottlenecks for improving the DSSR accuracy over rugged terrain. To clearly understand and quantitatively evaluate the impact of geolocation bias on the DSSR estimation under clear sky, this letter conducts a systematical simulation research in Dayekou Basin of China based on a developed remote sensing satellite-based DSSR estimation scheme over rugged terrain. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can accurately capture the high temporal and spatial heterogeneities of DSSR, and the DSSR estimations are sensitive to geolocation bias. When the horizontal bias is lower than half a pixel, the deviations of the direct radiation could lead to above 600 W/m2 due to the illumination angle effects and shadow effects. The consequence of the bias on the diffuse and reflected radiation from adjacent terrains is little because of their relatively small values and low-spatial heterogeneities under clear sky in general except for the deep valley areas. The trends of the total radiation errors with the geolocation bias are identical in different days (scenes), and the error is related to the solar zenith angle. In addition, the more rugged the terrain, the greater the influence of geolocation bias on the radiation accuracy.