This section of the CD-ROM contains additional material supporting
the information in

Chapter 14:
The Meteorological Radiation Model (MRM): Advancements and Applications

of the book:
Modeling Solar Radiation at the Earth's Surface.
Recent Advances

published by Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg

November 2007
-------------------------------------

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE for the Meteorological Radiation Model
(MRM) Version 5.0

Harry D. KAMBEZIDIS & Basil E. PSILOGLOU, August 2007

==================================================================

  This version of MRM fulfills the requirements of deriving the
global and diffuse horizontal
  radiations at a location for a designated span of hours and
dates by calculating mean
  hourly irradiance values (in W/m2).

  The time used is Local Standatd Time (LST), which is always the
winter time at the location.

  Before running MRM, the user must:
  - prepare the input data file (INPUT.DAT)
  - change the values in the "MRM input parameter section" of the
PARAM.DAT file.

  Upon starting running MRM (by clicking on the MRM-V5.EXE), the
code asks the user for the following
  information:
  - the name of the input file (INPUT.DAT)
  - the name for the output file (eg OUTPUT.RES)
  - the option of having two extra files (ASTRO.CAL and MASS.CAL)
        by responding with a Y or y (YES), otherwise with N
or n (NO).

  MRM then performs the necessary computations according to the
availability of the sunshine duration:
  - total daily value (in hours), code 1 in the PARAM.DAT file, or
  - hourly fraction value (in hours), code 2 in the PARAM.DAT
file.


*** The MRM-v5 model estimations are always performed for solar
altitude >= 5 degrees ***
*** A short description of the contents for each of the above
files is given below ***


  PARAM.DAT: It is a necessary input file for MRM. Please do NOT
rename it.

==================================================================
  Latitude: degrees North (+) of equator
  Longitude: degrees East (-) of Greenwich meridian
  Std longitude: degrees East (-) of Greenwich meridian
  Time zone: East (-) of Greewich meridian
  Sunshine duration code: (1) Daily total, (2) Hourly fraction
  CO2 atmos. concentration: Default value of 350 ppm
  Angstrom's beta: Default value of 0.05
  Kapa parameter: Default value of 1.0
  Ground albedo: Default value of 0.2.


  INPUT.DAT: The user CAN give a different name to this file, if
desired.

==================================================================
  The columns from left to right are the following variables with
their format:
  - year (I4)
  - month (I2)
  - day (I2)
  - hour (I2)
  - dry-bulb temperature (in degC, F5.1)
  - relative humidity (in %, F5.1)
  - atmospheric pressure at the station's altitude (in hPa, F6.1)
if measured, else -999.0;
    in this last case MRM sets the pressure equal to the default
value of 1000 hPa
  - total daily sunshine duration or hourly sunshine fraction (in
hours and decimal part, F5.1)
  - total ozone columnar amount (in DU, F5.1) if measured, else -
99.0; in this last case MRM makes
    use of the Van Heuklon's expression (Solar Energy, vol. 22,
pp. 63-68, 1979)
  - global horizontal hourly irradinace (in W/m2, F6.1), if
measured, else -99.0
  - diffuse horizontal hourly irradinace (in W/m2, F6.1), if
measured, else -99.0.
    The last two irradiance parameters are inserted in the
INPUT.DAT file for a better comparison with the results.


  OUTPUT.RES: The user MUST give a different name to this file
before every NEW run.

==================================================================

  The columns from left to right are the following variables with
their format:
  - year (I4)
  - month (I2)
  - day (I2)
  - MRM-estimated hourly diffuse horizontal irradiance (in W/m2)
  - MRM-estimated hourly global horizontal irradiance (in W/m2)
  - measured hourly diffuse horizontal irradiance (in W/m2)
  - measured hourly global horizontal irradiance (in W/m2).
    The last two irradiance parameters are shown if their values
have been included in
    the INPUT.DAT file. In the adverse case, the columns have the
value of -99.0.


  ASTRO.CAL (optional): The user MUST re-name (or delete) it
before every new run.

==================================================================

  It includes all the necessary astronomical calculations
performed inside of the MRM-v5 code using
  the SUNAE algorithm and its subsequent modifications referred to
in Chapter 5.


  MASS.CAL (optional): The user MUST re-name (or delete) it before
every new run.

==================================================================

  It includes all the results from the necessary calculations for
air mass (uncorrected and corrected
  for barometric pressure at the station's height), precipitable
water, ozone columnar amount, and
  hourly sunshine duration.


  CONTACT INFORMATION

==================================================================

  NATIONAL OBSERVATORY OF ATHENS
  INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  ATMOSPHERIC REASEARCH TEAM

  Dr. Harry Kambezidis: harry@meteo.noa.gr, tel. 30 210 3490119
  Dr. Basil Psiloglou: bill@meteo.noa.gr, tel. 30 210 8109133



