Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)
| Data | Metadata |
The World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC) is the central archive of all measurements performed within the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN).
BSRN is a project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Global Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX) and as such is aimed at detecting important changes in the Earth's radiation field at the Earth's surface which may be related to climate changes.
The data are of primary importance in supporting the validation and confirmation of satellite and computer model estimates of these quantities. At a small number of stations (currently about 40) in contrasting climatic zones, covering a latitude range from 80°N to 90°S (see station maps ), solar and atmospheric radiation is measured with instruments of the highest available accuracy and with high time resolution (1 to 3 minutes).
The BSRN was recently (early 2004) designated as the global baseline network for surface radiation for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
The Clouds and The Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)
| Data & Information | Metadata |
The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is a key component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) program. The CERES instruments provide radiometric measurements of the Earth's atmosphere from three broadband channels. The CERES missions are a follow-on to the successful Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission. The first CERES instrument (PFM) was launched on November 27, 1997 as part of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Two CERES instruments (FM1 and FM2) were launched into polar orbit on board the EOS flagship Terra on December 18, 1999, and two additional CERES instruments (FM3 and FM4) were launched on board EOS Aqua on May 4, 2002. (from the CERES web site)
Solar Radiation and Cloud Experiment (SORCE)
| Data Access & Summary | Metadata |
The Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) is a NASA-sponsored satellite mission that is providing state-of-the-art measurements of incoming x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and total solar radiation. The measurements provided by SORCE specifically address long-term climate change, natural variability and enhanced climate prediction, and atmospheric ozone and UV-B radiation. These measurements are critical to studies of the Sun; its effect on our Earth system; and its influence on humankind.
The SORCE spacecraft was launched on January 25, 2003 on a Pegasus XL launch vehicle to provide NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) with precise measurements of solar radiation. It launched into a 645 km, 40 degree orbit and is operated by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder, Colorado, USA. It will continue the precise measurements of total solar irradiance (TSI) that began with the ERB instrument in 1979 and has continued to the present with the ACRIM series of measurements. SORCE will also provide the measurements of the solar spectral irradiance from 1nm to 2000nm, accounting for 95% of the spectral contribution to TSI.
SORCE carries four instruments including the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM), Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE), Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM), and the XUV Photometer System (XPS). (from the SORCE web site)
Surface Radiation Budget (SRB)
| Data & Information | Metadata |
The NASA/GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Release-3.0 data sets contains global 3-hourly, daily, monthly/3-hourly, and monthly averages of surface longwave and shortwave radiative parameters on a 1°x1° grid. Cloud amounts and other atmospheric state parameters, used as inputs to the models, are also included in the data sets. Primary inputs to the models include: visible and infrared radiances, and cloud and surface properties inferred from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) pixel-level (DX) data; temperature and moisture profiles from GEOS-4 reanalysis product obtained from the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO); and column ozone amounts constituted from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) archives, and Stratospheric Monitoring-group's Ozone Blended Analysis (SMOBA), an assimilation product from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. These data sets are also reformatted for the use of renewable energy and agricultural communities and made available through the Surface meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) website. SRB data sets are also available from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project and the Fast Longwave and SHortwave Radiative Fluxes (FLASHFlux) project. The latter project provides SRB data on a near real-time basis. Both projects make use of global observations from CERES and Moderate-resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) instruments.
Release-3.0 products differ substantially from earlier SRB Releases (2.0 and 2.5) arising from numerous improvements of the algorithms and input data sets. Temporal coverage of Release-3.0 is also extended to June 2007; Release-2.5 ended in June 2005. On-line documentation provides information on all changes applicable to Release-3.0. Users are encouraged to consult on-line documentation prior to using these data sets. (from the SRB web site)
Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE)
| Data | Metadata |
Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) measurements were collected from three satellites (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) carrying two ERBE instrument packages (Scanner and NonScanner). The objective was to measure global albedo, fluxes, and solar incidence. The ERBE instruments on board the NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 satellites provide global spatial coverage, while the scanner instruments on board the ERBS provides coverage between 67.5 degrees north and south latitude and the nonscanner instruments on board the ERBS provide coverage between 60 degrees north and south latitude. Because ERBS is in a precessing (57-degree) orbit, the ERBE instruments on board this satellite provide diurnal sampling.
ERBS, a dedicated NASA satellite, was launched in October 1984. The NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 satellites, both operational weather satellites maintained by NOAA, were launched in December 1984 and September 1986, respectively. The nonscanner instrument on board the ERBS continues to operate and to provide Earth Radiation Budget data.
Quicktime movies were created from the "Visualization of ERBE Data" Video. These movies include browse images for Longwave and Shortwave data, and Clear Sky, Cloud Forcing, and Net Radiation data. In order to view the Quicktime movies, you will need the latest version of Quicktime (available free of charge) and speakers for the stereo sound track.
The following images show a sample of data from the ERBE ERBS instrument. In particular, the images show top of atmosphere all sky albedo, shortwave, and longwave measurements. (from the ERBE web site)
International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP)
| Data | Metadata |
The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) was established in 1982 as part of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) to collect weather satellite radiance measurements and to analyze them to infer the global distribution of clouds, their properties, and their diurnal, seasonal and interannual variations. The resulting datasets and analysis products are being used to study the role of clouds in climate , both their effects on radiative energy exchanges and their role in the global water cycle. (from the ISCCP web site)
Global Energy Cycle and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX)
| Data | Metadata |
The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) is an integrated program of research, observations, and science activities ultimately leading to the prediction of global and regional climate change. The International GEWEX Project Office (IGPO) is the focal point for the planning and implementation of all GEWEX activities.
 The goal of GEWEX is to reproduce and predict, by means of suitable models, the variations of the global hydrological regime, its impact on atmospheric and surface dynamics, and variations in regional hydrological processes and water resources and their response to changes in the environment, such as the increase in greenhouse gases. GEWEX will provide an order of magnitude improvement in the ability to model global precipitation and evaporation, as well as accurate assessment of the sensitivity of atmospheric radiation and clouds to climate change.
GEWEX is the core project in the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) concerned with studying the dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmosphere and interactions with the Earth's surface. More at the GEWEX web site.
|
