CERES SYN1deg: Monthly Global Cloud, Aerosol, and Radiative Flux Data

CERES SYN1deg-Month_Terra-NPP_Edition1A is a NASA-produced data product providing monthly Earth radiation and cloud data. It integrates observations from multiple satellite instruments, including CERES on Terra and Suomi NPP, and geostationary satellites to model diurnal variability. The product provides parameters on a 1-degree regional, zonal, and global scale, with data collection reported as complete.

Use Cases

• Modeling Earth's radiative energy budget based on computed top-of-atmosphere, within-atmosphere, and surface fluxes.
• Analyzing cloud-aerosol interactions and their radiative forcing based on provided cloud, aerosol, and atmospheric property adjustments.
• Studying diurnal cycles in radiation and clouds based on the use of 1-hourly geostationary satellite data to enhance temporal sampling.
• Validating and calibrating climate models based on CERES-observed fluxes and MODIS-derived cloud properties.

Strengths

• Integrates data from multiple satellite platforms (CERES, MODIS, VIIRS, GEO imagers) for cross-calibration and enhanced sampling.
• Provides computed fluxes for multiple sky conditions (all-sky, clear-sky, pristine) across longwave, shortwave, and window spectral regions.
• Data is provided on consistent 1-degree regional, zonal, and global spatial scales with a monthly temporal resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data collected by CERES Imaging Radiometers, MODIS, and VIIRS on Terra and Suomi NPP satellites, enhanced with geostationary satellite data and processed using the Langley Fu-Liou radiative transfer model.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:09:04.125964; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage on 1-degree equal-angle grid.