Category: Sunshine

UK Sunshine 2015 – 9th Highest Since 1929

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According to the UK Met Office 2015 was the 9th highest (since 1929) for sunshine.

Approximate 100 hours higher than the 1981-2010 average.

Capture

UK Max temperature graph looks similar to the sunshine graph.

Capture

Shameful: Environment Canada’s Sunshine Data

Published on by sunshinehours16 Comments

Once up a time (June of 1978 to be precise)  if you downloaded Environment Canada’s monthly summaries, you would have found 313 stations with “Bright Sunshine” hours.

Even two years ago, these stations were reporting sunshine data:

TORONTO LESTER B. PEARSON INT’L A
CARTWRIGHT
GOOSE A
VICTORIA INT’L A
COMOX A
VANCOUVER INT’L A
WIARTON A

As of today, only WIARTON A reports sunshine data and for May 2015 25 out of 31 days had no valid measurements.

Canada Monthly Summary Analysis - 1900 to 2015 - Sunshine - 1x1 Grid - WIARTON A ( 3 or fewer missing days)

More Sunshine in North America From 1982 – 2012

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

Well … technically they say 4.2% less clouds. But that does mean more sunshine (except at night).

The emergence of satellite-based cloud records of climate-length and quality hold tremendous potential for climate model development, climate monitoring, and studies on global water cycling and its subsequent energetics. This article examines the more than thirty-year PATMOS-x AVHRR cloudiness record over North America and assesses its suitability as a climate-quality data record. A loss of ~4.2% total cloudiness is observed between 1982 and 2012 over a North American domain centered over the contiguous United States.

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00068.1?af=R&

 

As you know, land base sunshine monitoring is atrocious in North America. Once upon a time Canada had over 300 stations collecting sunshine data. How do we know whether major ups and downs in climate aren’t because of more or less clouds?

 

(h/t Hockey Schtick)

 

The Sad State of Environment Canada’s Sunshine Data

Published on by sunshinehours14 Comments

Once up a time (June of 1978 to be precise)  if you downloaded Environment Canada’s monthly summaries, you would have found 313 stations with “Bright Sunshine” hours.

As of January 2014, there is only one. (Ignore the title. Those are hours , not anomalies. I’m just depressed about the loss of data. How do we know whats going on if we don’t collect sunshine data???)

EC MonthlyNormalsSunshine1978-06

EC MonthlyNormalsSunshine2014-01

Staggering 20% Increase in Surface Solar Radiation Due to Cleaner Air In Just One Decade

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"Clean-air policies in developing countries have resulted in reduced levels of anthropogenic atmospheric 
aerosol pollution. Reductions in aerosol pollution is thought to result in a reduction in haze and 
cloud layers, leading to an increase in the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface, and ultimately, 
an increase in surface temperatures. There have been many studies illustrating coherent relationships 
between surface solar radiation and temperature however, a direct link between aerosol emissions, 
concentrations, and surface radiation has not been demonstrated to date. Here, we illustrate a coherence 
between the trends of reducing anthropogenic aerosol emissions and concentrations, at the interface 
between the North-East Atlantic and western-Europe, leading to a staggering increase in surface 
solar radiation of the order of ∼20% over the last decade."

Abstract here.

Clean air legislation really got going in the late 1970s.

Bright Sunshine Canada March 2013

Published on by sunshinehours18 Comments

Once upon a time, there were over 250 weather stations collecting bright sunshine data in Canada each month.

Alas we are now down to 7 stations. In 3 provinces. And only 5 of the 7 are considered reliable enough or old enough to have “% of Normals” calculated.

March 2013 was pretty sunny in BC (really Vancouver Island / Vancouver) where sunshine was around 115% of normal  (the 1971-2000 average).

(I’m not sure why Vancouver has an NA for % of normal as it usually has a value )

I think most of the sunshine arrived the last week of March.

Goose A was pretty gloomy. 61% of normal.

Province Station Year Month Bright Sunshine Hours Bright Sunshine % of Normal
BC VICTORIA INTL A 2013 3 160 112
BC COMOX A 2013 3 144 115
BC VANCOUVER INTL A 2013 3 156 NA
ONT WIARTON A 2013 3 130 88
ONT TORONTO LESTER B. PEARSO 2013 3 146 NA
NFLD CARTWRIGHT 2013 3 58 NA
NFLD GOOSE A 2013 3 82 61

Once Upon A Time – 667 Hours of Bright Sunshine in A Month

Published on by sunshinehours12 Comments

Once upon a time Environment Canada used to collect bright sunshine data for well over 250 weather stations. Now they are down to 7.

One commenter told us about experiencing over 500 hours of sunshine in one month when he was up in Eureka Nunavut (it was NWT when he was there).

I thought I would post the top 50 sunniest months (total hours of bright sunshine) ever in Canada. Of course they are all in the far north of Canada.

The winner is Eureka. 667 hours of bright sunshine in May of 1987. Sadly Eureka no longer collects bright sunshine data (it stopped around May 2005)

The highest sunshine total for a weather station not in the north is VICTORIA GONZALES HTS. 425 hours of bright sunshine for July 1958. See table at bottom for non-northern stations.

Province Station Year Month Bright Sunshine Hours Bright Sunshine % of Normal
NU EUREKA 1987 5 667 134
NU EUREKA 1989 5 632 127
NU EUREKA 1973 5 621 125
NU EUREKA 1991 5 593 120
NU EUREKA 1997 6 586 NA
NU ALERT 2003 7 576 196
NWT INUVIK UA 2004 6 574 NA
NU EUREKA 2005 5 574 116
NU EUREKA 1976 5 573 115
NU EUREKA 2002 5 567 114
NU EUREKA 1981 6 565 141
NU EUREKA 1998 5 564 114
NU EUREKA 1988 7 563 156
NU EUREKA 1975 5 554 112
NU EUREKA 1981 5 548 111
NU ALERT 1981 5 547 131
NU EUREKA 1974 5 544 110
NU EUREKA 1972 5 543 109
NU ISACHSEN 1973 5 543 NA
NU EUREKA 1979 5 543 109
NU RESOLUTE CARS 1970 5 536 172
NU EUREKA 1988 5 535 108
NU EUREKA 1985 5 532 107
NU EUREKA 1990 6 531 133
NWT SACHS HARBOUR A 1958 6 529 146
NU ALERT 1985 5 529 126
NWT AKLAVIK A 1959 6 526 NA
NU EUREKA 1980 5 521 105
NU ALERT 1972 5 514 123
NU EUREKA 2001 5 512 103
NWT SACHS HARBOUR A 1984 6 510 141
NWT INUVIK UA 2003 6 508 NA
NU EUREKA 2003 7 506 139
NU EUREKA 2004 4 506 144
NU ALERT 1987 4 503 146
NU ALERT 2000 5 503 120
NU EUREKA 1978 7 498 138
NU EUREKA 1971 6 495 124
NU EUREKA 2000 6 495 124
NU RESOLUTE CARS 1988 7 492 166
NU EUREKA 1970 5 491 99
NU ALERT 1971 5 491 117
NU EUREKA 1996 5 490 99
NU EUREKA 1977 6 489 122
NU EUREKA 1995 5 488 98
NU ALERT 1974 6 487 151
NU EUREKA 1969 5 486 98
NU EUREKA 1987 7 486 135
NU EUREKA 1983 5 484 98
NU ALERT 1979 5 483 115

Top 50 Non-Northern Bright Sunshine Stations

Province Station Year Month Bright Sunshine Hours Bright Sunshine % of Normal
BC VICTORIA GONZALES HTS 1958 7 425 130
BC VICTORIA INTL A 1985 7 422 131
ALTA MANYBERRIES CDA 1985 7 414 115
BC CRANBROOK A 1985 7 413 130
ALTA MEDICINE HAT A 1991 7 413 118
BC VICTORIA GONZALES HTS 1960 7 411 125
MAN RIVERS A 1960 7 410 NA
BC SATURNA ISLAND CS 1985 7 410 NA
BC SAANICHTON CDA 1958 7 406 139
SASK SWIFT CURRENT CDA 1967 7 403 130
ALTA MANYBERRIES CDA 1988 7 401 111
QUE INUKJUAK UA 1996 7 401 177
BC NANAIMO A 1958 7 400 137
SASK MOOSE JAW A 1967 7 400 121
BC VICTORIA GONZALES HTS 1984 7 400 122
BC COWICHAN BAY CHERRY POIN 1958 7 398 NA
BC PRINCETON A 1985 7 398 131
MAN THE PAS A 1964 6 397 139
SASK ESTEVAN A 1967 7 397 119
MAN DAUPHIN A 1974 6 397 145
BC NANAIMO A 1985 7 397 136
BC ANAHIM LAKE 5 MILE RANCH 1985 7 397 NA
BC VERNON 1985 7 397 127
BC CASTLEGAR A 1985 7 397 134
ALTA SUFFIELD A 1953 7 396 120
SASK ESTEVAN A 1964 7 396 118
MAN DELTA MARSH CS 1974 6 396 141
SASK MOOSE JAW A 1985 7 396 119
ALTA MEDICINE HAT A 1953 7 395 112
ALTA VAUXHALL CDA 1960 7 395 NA
ALTA BROOKS AHRC 1969 8 395 133
ALTA LETHBRIDGE CDA 1973 7 395 118
SASK BAD LAKE IHD 102 1984 7 395 NA
BC WILLIAMS LAKE A 1985 7 395 133
ALTA MEDICINE HAT A 1985 7 395 112
SASK SWIFT CURRENT A 1994 7 395 116
ALTA VAUXHALL CDA 1959 7 394 NA
SASK SASKATOON U OF S 1959 7 394 NA
ALTA LETHBRIDGE CDA 1967 7 394 118
SASK WEYBURN 1967 7 394 112
BC ABBOTSFORD A 1985 7 394 139
BC TRAIL TADANAC 1985 7 394 NA
BC KAMLOOPS A 1985 7 394 127
SASK REGINA A 1967 7 393 119
SASK SASKATOON U OF S 1960 7 392 NA
ALTA LETHBRIDGE CDA 1969 8 392 134
BC SAANICHTON CDA 1985 7 392 134
SASK WEYBURN 1985 7 392 111
ALTA SUFFIELD A 1963 7 391 119
ALTA SUFFIELD A 1967 7 391 119

Bright Sunshine Canada February 2013

Published on by sunshinehours15 Comments

Once upon a time, there were over 250 weather stations collecting bright sunshine data in Canada each month.

Alas we are now down to 7 stations. In 3 provinces. And only 5 of the 7 are considered reliable enough or old enough to have “% of Normals” calculated.

February 2013 was pretty gloomy in BC where sunshine was around 60% of normal  (the 1971-2000 average).

Goose Airport in NFLD was 3% sunnier than normal. Wiarton Airport in Ontario was gloomiest at 54% of normal.

Province Station Year Month Bright Sunshine Hours Bright Sunshine % of Normal
BC VICTORIA INTL A 2013 2 55 61
BC COMOX A 2013 2 53 62
BC VANCOUVER INTL A 2013 2 50 59
ONT WIARTON A 2013 2 50 54
ONT TORONTO LESTER B. PEARSO 2013 2 82 NA
NFLD CARTWRIGHT 2013 2 102 NA
NFLD GOOSE A 2013 2 130 103

 

Update: Eureka Top 15 Sunshine Months From the Past (See comment)

Province Station Year Month Bright Sunshine Hours Bright Sunshine % of Normal
NU EUREKA 1987 5 667 134
NU EUREKA 1989 5 632 127
NU EUREKA 1973 5 621 125
NU EUREKA 1991 5 593 120
NU EUREKA 1997 6 586 NA
NU EUREKA 2005 5 574 116
NU EUREKA 1976 5 573 115
NU EUREKA 2002 5 567 114
NU EUREKA 1981 6 565 141
NU EUREKA 1998 5 564 114
NU EUREKA 1988 7 563 156
NU EUREKA 1975 5 554 112
NU EUREKA 1981 5 548 111
NU EUREKA 1974 5 544 110
NU EUREKA 1972 5 543 109
NU EUREKA 1979 5 543 109

Cleaner Air = More Sunshine

Published on by sunshinehours14 Comments

I found this paper on Google Scholar. But I can’t find a direct link anywhere that works.

But it is important so I will put up this post anyway.

 

Cleaner Air: Brightening the Pollution Perspective?

Colin O’Dowd, Darius Ceburnis, Aditya Vaishya S. Gerard Jennings & Eoin Moran

School of Physics & Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, National University of Ireland Galway

“This study has demonstrated for the first time, using in-situ PM measurements,
that reducing aerosol pollution is driving the Insolation Brightening phenomenon and
that the trends in aerosol pollution, particularly for sulphate aerosol, is directly linked
to anthropogenic emissions. Ultimately, the analysis demonstrates that clean air

policies in developed regions such as Europe are driving brightening of the
atmosphere and increasing the amount of global radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.
The actual impact of cleaner air and insolation brightening on temperature remains to
be elucidated”

As I’ve said before, cleaner air may have warming the earth after 1975. Dirtier air after 2000 may have stopped the warming.