BSRN
Published: Friday, July 25, 2014
The Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) provides the highest quality data about solar and atmospheric radiation and the energy balance at the Earth’s surface. More than 60 stations around the world have been accepted by the BSRN, covering all continents and climatic zones from deserts to the Antarctic.
The instrumentation requirements and operating practices developed by the BSRN ensure that measurements are of the highest quality. The observed data are collected, processed and reviewed by the designated site scientists and provided to the World Radiation Monitoring Centre (WRMC) at the Alfred Wagner Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The BSRN was conceived and implemented in the late 1980s as the highest level monitoring network of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) to contribute to climate research studies and to calibrate satellite instruments reporting radiation budget data. More recently, BSRN stations also contribute to the solar energy resource studies for the renewable energy industry. Due to the high quality reputation of the BSRN, many solar energy facilities specify a station with BSRN compatible equipment for monitoring solar radiation to the highest standards.
Kipp & Zonen has been supplying solar radiation instruments and automatic sun trackers for BSRN stations since the beginning of the network. The majority of BSRN stations now rely on our equipment for the most precise and reliable measurements. Kipp & Zonen regularly participates in meetings with BSRN scientists in order to understand their needs and to improve our products to meet the requirements of their most demanding applications.
The BSRN global network, 'red' stations are using Kipp & Zonen equipment to measure solar radiation.
For more information please visit the product page of the ‘Scientific Solar Monitoring Station’. Under Downloads you will find our overview of the BSRN requirements and compatible Kipp & Zonen instruments.
Find out more about the BSRN at www.bsrn.awi.de.