Modelled and measured ratio of PAR to global radiation under cloudless skies

The ratio between photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and solar broadband irradiance depends on the spectral structure of radiation. Therefore, at the Earth surface, this ratio depends on atmospheric conditions and solar height. Specifically, for cloudless skies. and based on results from a spectral radiative transfer model, a parameterised model is presented here in order to obtain the ratio between PPFD and global irradiance from meteorological routine measurements. The two main input variables of the model are air mass and an estimation of precipitable water column. Modelled values are compared to measurements taken at Girona (NE Iberian Peninsula). A correction to measurements is developed to take into account the non-cosine response of the instruments. Agreement between measurements and model is significantly better than merely considering a constant value of the ratio between PPFD and global broadband irradiance. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.