Earth Radiation Budget Satellite Averages of Flux and Albedo

ERBE S-4 data provides space and time averages of radiant flux and albedo on regional, zonal, and global scales. The dataset was produced by NASA's Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center using measurements from the ERBS, NOAA-9, and NOAA-10 satellites. Data collection was completed, with the last recorded update in February 1990.

Use Cases

• Analyze regional and zonal albedo averages to study Earth's reflectivity changes over time.
• Model global radiation budget using averaged flux data from scanner and non-scanner instruments.
• Compare wide field-of-view and medium field-of-view channel measurements for spatial resolution studies.
• Validate climate model outputs against historical flux and albedo averages from the 1985-1986 period.

Strengths

• Data combines measurements from three satellites (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) for multi-platform validation.
• Provides averages at three distinct spatial scales: regional, zonal, and global.
• Includes data from both scanner and non-scanner instrument packages for methodological comparison.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited, with a primary combined product archived only from February 1985 to October 1986.
• Medium field-of-view measurements from the NOAA-10 satellite were not archived, creating a data gap.
• Data is stored in native integer formats (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit), which may require conversion for modern analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).

Collection Method

Averages derived from active cavity radiometer measurements on the ERBS, NOAA-9, and NOAA-10 satellites.

Time Range

Primary combined product spans February 1985 through October 1986.

Freshness

Data collection is complete; last update was in 1990, indicating a historical archive.

Geography

Global coverage from sun-synchronous NOAA satellites; ERBS coverage between 67.5 degrees north and south latitude.