CERES SYN1deg: Hourly Earth Radiation, Cloud, and Aerosol Data

CERES SYN1deg-MHour_Terra-Aqua-NOAA20_Edition4B is a NASA satellite data product providing top-of-atmosphere, within-atmosphere, and surface radiative fluxes alongside cloud and aerosol properties. It synthesizes measurements from CERES scanners, MODIS, VIIRS, and geostationary satellites using the Langley Fu-Liou radiative transfer model. The dataset offers parameters at a monthly-averaged one-hourly temporal resolution on a 1-degree regional spatial scale.

Use Cases

• Analyzing diurnal cycles of radiative fluxes based on the monthly-averaged one-hourly temporal resolution.
• Studying cloud-aerosol radiative effects using provided all-sky, clear-sky, and pristine-sky condition computations.
• Validating climate model outputs of surface and atmospheric energy budgets against observed and computed flux profiles.
• Investigating regional variations in Earth's albedo and outgoing longwave radiation at 1-degree spatial scales.

Strengths

• Integrates data from multiple satellite platforms (Terra, Aqua, NOAA-20, geostationary) for enhanced temporal sampling.
• Fluxes are computed and adjusted using the established Langley Fu-Liou radiative transfer model and constrained by CERES-observed TOA fluxes.
• Provides data for multiple atmospheric conditions (all-sky, clear-sky, pristine, all-sky without aerosols).

Limitations

• Specific column names and data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• The dataset's exact temporal coverage and update frequency are not explicitly stated, though data collection is noted as 'ongoing'.
• Some related CERES products (e.g., BDS editions) are flagged as for instrument validation only and not suited for science publications.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from CERES scanners, MODIS, VIIRS, and geostationary imagers, processed through defined algorithms and radiative transfer models.

Freshness

Last updated date noted as 2026-04-10 on data.gov, though this may reflect a metadata refresh rather than data currency.

Geography

Global coverage at 1-degree regional spatial scales.