ERBE S-4G: Earth Radiation Budget Regional Averages

Satellite data from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) provides regional, zonal, and global averages of radiant flux and albedo. Measurements were taken by scanner instruments on NASA's ERBS and NOAA's NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 satellites, covering latitudes between 67.5 degrees north and south. The S-4G product contains nested 5-degree to 10-degree regional averages of shortwave, longwave, and total waveband radiation.

Use Cases

• Modeling Earth's energy budget based on regional radiant flux averages.
• Analyzing albedo variations across different geographic zones.
• Validating climate models using satellite-derived shortwave and longwave radiation data.
• Studying atmospheric radiation trends from multi-satellite observations.

Strengths

• Data collection is explicitly stated as complete across all sources.
• Multi-satellite system (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) provides complementary global and mid-latitude coverage.
• Scanner instruments used precise thermistor detectors with space-view calibration to guard against drift.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are unknown, hindering precise technical understanding.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata: one source shows 1990-02-28, while others show 2026-04-10, suggesting potential metadata errors.
• License is ambiguously specified as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite measurements from scanner instruments on ERBS, NOAA-9, and NOAA-10.

Freshness

1990-02-28 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global, with ERBS coverage between 67.5°N and 67.5°S.