NOAA’s Barrow Observatory conducts research on greenhouse gases, aerosols, surface radiation and stratospheric ozone.
WRMC-BSRN
The BSRN archive stores high-accuracy surface radiation measurements alongside surface and upper-air weather observations.
About WRMC-BSRN
The Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) provides surface radiation measurements from a global network of stations and maintains a central archive, the World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC). Since 1992 the archive has stored radiation measurements together with collocated surface and upper-air meteorological observations and station metadata in an integrated database.
The network covers about 80 stations in contrasting climatic zones, from 80°N to 90°S, with shortwave and long-wave measurements at 1-minute resolution. BSRN is a project of the Data and Analysis Panel of the Global Energy and Water Exchange (GEWEX), is a GCOS recognized network for global surface radiation measurements, and has operated under a cooperative network agreement with NDACC since 2011. Data retrieval is handled through PANGAEA, and an Errata and Updates page is maintained.
Key features
- Archive of surface radiation measurements dating to 1992
- About 80 stations across contrasting climatic zones
- Shortwave and long-wave measurements at 1-minute resolution
- Collocated surface and upper-air meteorological observations
- Station metadata stored in an integrated database
- Data retrieval through PANGAEA
Best for: Climate researchers who need high-accuracy surface radiation records for validating satellite products and climate model parameterizations.
Good for
- Measurements are made with instruments of the highest available accuracy
- Station distribution spans all continents and oceanic environments, latitudes 80°N to 90°S
- Radiation data are accompanied by collocated surface and upper-air observations and station metadata
Watch out for
- Station coverage is limited to about 80 sites
- Data retrieval depends on the external PANGAEA service
- No pricing information is provided on the homepage
WRMC-BSRN at a glance
- Website
- bsrn.awi.de
- Category
- Research & Data › Climate & Environmental Data
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
WRMC-BSRN alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
NASA's CERES page presents satellite views and measurements of reflected shortwave, outgoing longwave, and net downward radiation.
Search the CEDA Archive for atmospheric and Earth observation data, which includes more than 20 petabytes of research.
PAINT makes operational data from concentrating solar power plants available, including calibration images, measurements, and weather information.
Bavaria's hydrological service publishes measurement data on rivers, lakes, groundwater, weather, and related water conditions.
The space weather center provides data display and downloads for geomagnetic, ionospheric, solar, and related observations.
Popular in Climate & Environmental Data
Well-known listings from the same topic.
IOOS®ioos.noaa.govOCTOPUS databaseoctopusdata.orgVectorSurvvectorsurv.orgSIBiLSsibils.orgNatureServenatureserve.orgdata.iowa.govdata.iowa.gov
WRMC-BSRN FAQ
What does the BSRN archive contain?
The WRMC central archive stores radiation measurements together with collocated surface and upper-air meteorological observations and station metadata in an integrated database.
How many stations are in the network and where are they?
There are about 80 stations in contrasting climatic zones, covering latitudes from 80°N to 90°S across all continents and oceanic environments.
How is BSRN data retrieved?
Data retrieval is available via PANGAEA, and users are advised to check the Errata and Updates page.
Is something wrong or out of date?
Tell us and an editor will check it.
Own this website?
Claim this listing
Claim the listing and suggest updates yourself. An editor checks every claim first.