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Facilitating Access to Global Observing Systems Data and Information

GCOS Essential Climate Variables (ECV)
Atmospheric/Upper Air/Earth Radiation Budget

The Earth's Radiation Budget: is a concept used for understanding how much energy the Earth gets from the Sun and how much energy the Earth-system radiates back to outer space as invisible light. If the Earth and the Earth's atmosphere retains more solar energy than it radiates back to space, the Earth will warm. If the Earth and the Earth-system radiates more energy to space than it receives from the sun, the Earth will cool. Scientists think of the Radiation Budget in terms of a see-saw or balance. If the Earth retains more energy from the Sun, the Earth warms and emits more infrared energy. This brings the Earth's Radiation Budget into balance. If the Earth emits more of this energy than it absorbs, the Earth cools. As it cools, the Earth emits less energy. This change also brings the Radiation Budget back into balance. Absorbed sunlight raises the Earth's temperature. Emitted radiation or heat lowers the temperature. When absorbed sunlight and emitted heat balance each other, the Earth's temperature doesn't change - the radiation budget is in balance. More... (Source: NASA)

[ECV Matrix Main Page] [About the ECV Matrix] [Reference Documents] [Contact] [Updated July 26, 2010]

Non-satellite or in-situ Satellite
  • CERES ERBE-like Data The ERBE-like Inversion Subsystem converts filtered CERES radiance measurements to instantaneous radiative flux estimates at the TOA for each CERES field of view. The basis for this subsystem is the ERBE Data Management System which produced TOA fluxes from the ERBE scanning radiometers onboard the ERBS (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite), NOAA-9, and NOAA-10 satellites over a 5-year period from November 1984 to February 1990 (Barkstrom 1984; Barkstrom and Smith 1986). The ERBE Inversion Subsystem (Smith et al. 1986) is a mature set of algorithms that has been well documented and tested. The strategy for the CERES ERBE-like products is to process the data through the same algorithms as those used by ERBE, with only minimal changes, such as those necessary to adapt to the CERES instrument characteristics. (contact)

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