A REVIEW OF THE NIMBUS-7 ERB SOLAR DATASET

Fourteen years (November 16, 1978 through January 24, 1993) of Nimbus- 7 total solar irradiance measurements have been made. The measured mea n annual solar energy just outside of the Earth's atmosphere was about 0.1% (1.4 W/m2) higher in the peak years of 1979 (cycle 21) and 1991 (cycle 22) than in the quiet Sun years of 1985/86. Comparison with sho rter, independent solar measurement sets and with empirical models qua litatively confirms the Nimbus-7 results. But these comparisons also r aise questions of detail for future studies: in which years did the pe aks actually occur and just how accurate are the models and the measur ements?