Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for GCMs (RRTMG)

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Method synopsis

Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for GCMs used to calculate clear-sky broadband radiation fluxes. Uses atmospheric profile inputs to estimate what radiation would be in absence of clouds for comparison with observed all-sky conditions.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 1 paper using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — Seasonality and albedo dependence of cloud radiative forcing in the Upper Colorado River Basin (2025), Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Calculate clear-sky radiation
   Run RRTMG radiative transfer models (RRTMG_LW v4.85 and RRTMG_SW v4.0) with hourly vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity, and water vapor. Use 14 spectral bands for longwave (3.08-100.0 μm) and 16 bands for shortwave. Input ozone profiles from NOAA monitoring station 200 km east.
   Quantities: Hourly model runs with 10-min frequency, averaged to hourly levelDuration: Model runs for entire study period to estimate clear-sky conditionsConditions: All timesteps, excluding periods when radiometers are shadowed by terrain
   Equipment: RRTMG radiative transfer models, automated weather stations, NOAA ozone monitoring data

Typical Equipment

• RRTMG radiative transfer models

Output Measurements

• clear-sky shortwave radiation
• clear-sky longwave radiation

Papers Using This Protocol (1)

Places Where Used