ERBE S-4G: Earth Radiation Budget Regional Averages

Data collection for this dataset is complete. It contains Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) S-4G Scanner 2.5-degree regional averages of radiant flux and albedo. The data originates from a multi-satellite system (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) with instruments measuring shortwave (0.2-5 µm), longwave (5-50 µm), and total waveband (0.2-50 µm) radiation.

Use Cases

• Analyzing regional energy imbalances based on radiant flux averages.
• Modeling climate feedbacks using albedo data on regional, zonal, and global scales.
• Validating Earth system models against satellite-derived shortwave and longwave radiation measurements.
• Studying temporal trends in the Earth's radiation budget from historical satellite observations.

Strengths

• Data originates from a calibrated multi-satellite system (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) with cross-calibrated scanner instruments.
• Provides global coverage from NOAA satellites and specific mid-latitude coverage (67.5°N to 67.5°S) from ERBS.
• Instruments used space views on every scan as a reference point to guard against drift.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are not specified in the available metadata.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one source lists a last update date of 2026-04-10, while another indicates data collection ended in 1990-02-28.
• Dataset size and row count are unknown.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite measurements from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) scanner instruments.

Time Range

1980s to 1990 (based on satellite launch dates and 'data collection is complete' status).

Freshness

Data collection is complete; most recent metadata update listed is 2026-04-10, but the underlying data appears to be from the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Geography

Global (NOAA-9, NOAA-10) and 67.5°N to 67.5°S (ERBS).