CERES-MISR-MODIS SSF-SSFM: Satellite Footprint Radiances and Clouds

NASA's Terra satellite collected this integrated dataset using CERES, MISR, and MODIS instruments. The data granule contains an hour of instantaneous CERES Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) data, matching daytime SSFM measurements, and MISR radiances associated with along-track CERES SSF data. Data collection for this product is complete, and it is a key component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) program.

Use Cases

• Modeling Earth's radiation budget based on CERES broadband radiometric measurements
• Analyzing cloud radiative transfer and microphysics based on integrated CERES and MODIS data
• Studying aerosol optical properties based on MISR multi-angle radiances
• Investigating atmospheric temperature profiles based on MODIS-derived data
• Validating climate models based on along-track footprint radiances and fluxes

Strengths

• Integrates measurements from three key satellite instruments: CERES, MISR, and MODIS
• Data collection is complete, providing a finalized product
• CERES instruments follow the successful Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission, indicating a mature methodology
• Provides daytime measurements (solar zenith angle < 90 deg) for SSFM data

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Data is only available for along-track days within the temporal coverage, limiting spatial completeness
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data was collected using the MODIS, FM1, FM2, MISR, and CERES Scanner instruments on the Terra satellite platform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:08:13.714962; freshness should be verified