World Radiation Monitoring Center
The World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC) is the central archive of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). The aim of this network is to provide climate researchers with the best possible ground-level radiation measurements. These are the solar radiation components ( global , reflex , direct , diffuse , UV ) as well as the terrestrial radiation components ( against , off ). More than 50 stations in different climate zones around the world take part, for example. Part of this network since 1992. The data from most stations are recorded as average values every minute. In many cases, the radiation measurements are supplemented by synoptic weather observations , radiosonde ascents , ozone measurements, etc.
The network is a project of the World Climate Research Program (WRCP) and the Global Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX). It is part of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Its goal is to record the radiation budget of the earth relevant to the climate and its changes. The data are used in particular to check and improve satellite measurements and climate models.
The WRMC was established in 1992 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich). In June 2008 the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven (AWI) took over the WRMC.