Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System

Artist representation of CERES instruments scanning Earth in Rotating Azimuth Plane mode.

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is an on-going NASA climatological experiment from Earth orbit.[1][2] The CERES are scientific satellite instruments, part of the NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), designed to measure both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere (TOA) to the Earth's surface. Cloud properties are determined using simultaneous measurements by other EOS instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).[3] Results from the CERES and other NASA missions, such as the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE),[4] could enable nearer to real-time tracking of Earth's energy imbalance (EEI) and better understanding of the role of clouds in global climate change.[1][5]

Incoming, top-of-atmosphere (TOA) shortwave flux radiation, shows energy received from the sun (Jan 26–27, 2012).
Outgoing, longwave flux radiation at the top-of-atmosphere (Jan 26–27, 2012). Heat energy radiated from Earth (in watts per square meter) is shown in shades of yellow, red, blue and white. The brightest-yellow areas are the hottest and are emitting the most energy out to space, while the dark blue areas and the bright white clouds are much colder, emitting the least energy.
Cumulative planetary heat content anomaly of Earth since year 2000 as observed by CERES
  1. ^ a b B. A. Wielicki; Harrison, Edwin F.; Cess, Robert D.; King, Michael D.; Randall, David A.; et al. (1995). "Mission to Planet Earth: Role of Clouds and Radiation in Climate". Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 76 (11): 2125–2152. Bibcode:1995BAMS...76.2125W. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1995)076<2125:MTPERO>2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ Wielicki; et al. (1996). "Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES): An Earth Observing System Experiment". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 77 (5): 853–868. Bibcode:1996BAMS...77..853W. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0853:CATERE>2.0.CO;2.
  3. ^ P. Minnis; et al. (September 2003). "CERES Cloud Property Retrievals from Imager on TRMM, Terra and Aqua" (PDF). Proceedings of SPIE 10th International Symposium on Remote Sensing. Conference on Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere VII. Spain. pp. 37–48.
  4. ^ Barkstrom, Bruce R. (1984). "The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 65 (11): 1170–1186. Bibcode:1984BAMS...65.1170B. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1984)065<1170:TERBE>2.0.CO;2.
  5. ^ "Surface and Atmospheric Remote Sensing: Technologies, Data Analysis and Interpretation., International". Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS '94. 1994.