CERES SSF1deg: Monthly Top-of-Atmosphere Fluxes, Clouds and Aerosols

CERES SSF1deg-Month Edition2A provides monthly averages of top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes, cloud properties, and aerosol data on a 1-degree latitude/longitude grid. The data is collected by the CERES FM5 and VIIRS instruments aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, launched in 2011. It includes zonally and globally averaged values for parameters like longwave, shortwave, and window band fluxes under clear-sky and all-sky conditions.

Use Cases

• Model Earth's radiative energy budget based on monthly averaged TOA fluxes.
• Analyze cloud property stratification across four atmospheric layers.
• Study aerosol distribution and impact using averaged instantaneous imager values.
• Validate climate models with zonally and globally averaged parameter values.

Strengths

• Data is collected from a specific instrument suite (CERES FM5 and VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.
• Parameters are provided on a standardized 1-degree global grid.
• Cloud properties are stratified into four distinct atmospheric layers.
• TOA fluxes are provided for three wavelength bands under two sky conditions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via CERES-Flight Model 5 and Visible-Infrared Imager-Radiometer Suite instruments.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:02:31.383176; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage on a 1-degree latitude/longitude grid.