A Comparison of Computed and Observed Insolation under Clear Skies over the Pacific Ocean

Abstract

In an effort to verify computational methods for ocean heat budgets, observations of insulation under clear skies for 26 days were compared with values computed by a formula previously derived from the Smithsonian Tables. The agreement between the observations and formula was within 2.0% for three groups of data over the Pacific between 10°S and 47°N. Random and systematic errors in the formula appear to be insignificant in these regions, but its validity is uncertain at higher latitudes.