ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the temporal variation of incident solar radiation at Llyn Efyrnwy using both in situ measurements and a computational model. It explores example of how gawk and gnuplot can be employed to analyze environmental data sets. The chapter illustrates how a computational model can be constructed from published mathematical formulae and used to simulate the temporal trends in incident solar radiation observed at Llyn Efyrnwy. Incident solar radiation, in conjunction with air temperature, also plays a key role in the growth and development of vegetation through the process of photosynthesis. Incident solar radiation is also an important source of renewable energy in its own right. In this context, it can be “harvested” to heat water for domestic or industrial use, to warm air for space heating or for drying crops, and to generate electricity using photovoltaic cells. The amount of solar radiation incident on Earth’s surface varies both spatially and with the time of day and year.
