Radiation Measurements over the Equatorial Central Pacific

During the Line Islands Experiment in spring 1967, surface shortwave and net radiation was continuously recorded a t Palmyra, and Suomi-Kuhn infrared radiationsondes were released daily at the islands of Palmyra, (5’53’ N., 162’05’ W.) and Christmas (1’59’ N., 157’22’ W.) as part of an extensive surface and upper air observation program. Data are evaluated in terms of the diurnal march of the surface radiation balance and the radiation budget characteristics of the troposphere-ocean system. These direct measurements indicate a substantially larger surface net radiation than is expected from available climatic mean charts based on empirical formulas. Implications for the tropical heat budget are pointed out.