Daily INSOLation (DINSOL-v1.0): an intuitive tool for classrooms and specifying solar radiation boundary conditions

Abstract

Climate modelling requires spending an extensive amount of time programming, which means reading, learning, testing, and evaluating source code. Fortunately, many climate models have been developed within the past decades, making it easier for climate studies to be conducted on a global scale. However, some climate models have millions of code lines, making the introduction of new parameterizations a laborious task that demands teamwork. While it is true that the high-complexity models perform realistic climate simulations, some researchers perform their studies using simplified climate models in the preliminary test phases. This realization motivated the development of Daily INSOLation (DINSOL-v1.0), a robust computer program to support the simplified climate models, performing solar radiation calculations while considering Milankovitch cycles and offering various simulation options for its users. DINSOL was intended to function as a program that supplies data (e.g. daily insolation, instantaneous solar radiation, orbital parameters of the Earth, and calendar dates), such as the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). While preparing the boundary conditions of solar radiation for climate models, it was realized that the DINSOL model could also be a helpful tool for use in classrooms. Thus, it was decided that an intuitive graphical user interface would be required to cater to this educational purpose. The model was written in the Fortran 90 language, while its graphical user interface would be built using PyGTK, a Python application programming interface (API) based on GIMP ToolKit (GTK). Furthermore, the R language would also be used to generate a panel containing contour fields and sketches of the orbital parameters to support the graphical execution. The model evaluation made use of data from PMIP and other tools, and the data analysis was performed through statistical methods. Once all tests were concluded, an insignificant difference between the DINSOL-obtained results and the results obtained from other models validated the viability of DINSOL as a dependable tool.