Revised optical air mass tables and approximation formula. The solar energy community defines albedo as the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected from the ground, ground cover, and bodies of water on the surface of the earth. Astronomers and meteorologists include reflectance by clouds and air. To reduce confusion, some solar researchers use the term ground reflectance . Algorithm - the set of simple instructions that combine to accomplish a task.
Computer codes are algorithms.
Anemometer - an instrument that measures wind speed. Angular Response Characterization - quantifying the effects of radiance incidence angle on pyranometer measurement performance. A graph of the energy reported by the pyranometer as the angle it makes with the beam of light should look like the cosine of the angle, if the instrument were perfect. Pyranometers have imperfections that keep them from producing this curve. Atmosphere - the zone of air that surrounds a planet.