Description
The data represents the annual solar radiation in Alberta over the 30-year period from 1971 to 2000. A 30-year period is use to describe the present climate since it is enough time to filter out short-term fluctuation by is not dominated by any long-term trend in the climate. Daily total incoming solar radiation is measured in megajoules per square metre (MJ/m2). Southern Alberta receives the greatest amount of annual global solar radiation with the amount gradually decreasing as you move farther north. However, cropping is successful in the northern (Peace River) area of Alberta because the longer summer day length helps compensate for the less intense solar radiation. Cloud cover in the mountains will reduce the amount of solar radiation received there.The amount of solar radiation received at the earth's surface varies with two factors that depend on latitude: the angle of the sun's rays and the hours of daylight. The distance from the equator, and therefore the intensity of the sun's radiation has the greatest effect on climate. Canada's position in the northern portion of the earth's northern hemisphere means that it receives less solar radiation compared to countries near the equator. The northward decrease in solar radiation is also noticeable within Alberta. Temperatures are generally higher in southern Alberta in comparison to northern Alberta because the south receives more solar radiation. This resource was created using ArcGIS.
Updated
March 10, 2020
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Annual Solar Radiation 1971-2000 - (HTML)
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Title and Dataset Information
Alternative Title
Annual Solar Radiation 1971-2000
Date Modified
2020-03-10
Update Frequency
Irregular
Publisher / Creator Information
Publisher
Agriculture and Forestry
Subject Information
Topic
Start Date
1971-01-01
End Date
2000-01-01
Spatial Coverage
Resource Dates
Date Created
2016-07-13
Date Added to catalogue
2020-04-30T03:25:16.362770
Date Issued
2016-07-13
Date Modified
2020-03-10
Audience information
Language
Identifiers
Usage / Licence
Contact
Contact Name
{"Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, Government of Alberta","Alberta Agriculture and Food"}