FLASHFlux: NOAA-20 Satellite Radiative Fluxes and Clouds

FLASHFlux Version 1B data provide near real-time top-of-atmosphere and surface radiative fluxes, cloud properties, and meteorological parameters within one week of measurement. The Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) product combines instantaneous CERES instrument data with VIIRS imager scene information and GEOS-5 ADAS atmospheric assimilation data. These rapid-release products are not intended for climate-quality studies due to relaxed calibration requirements.

Use Cases

• Monitoring short-term radiative energy balance based on top-of-atmosphere flux measurements.
• Analyzing cloud properties and their radiative effects using cloud fraction and cloud layer temperature data.
• Assessing atmospheric water vapor and humidity indicators derived from GEOS-5 assimilation data.
• Studying surface skin temperature and land surface emissivity for surface energy budget calculations.

Strengths

• Data is processed and released within one week of satellite measurement, enabling near real-time analysis.
• Integrates data from multiple sources: CERES radiometer, VIIRS imager, and GEOS-5 atmospheric model.

Limitations

• The dataset is not officially calibrated and is not intended to achieve climate data quality.
• Specific column names, dataset size, and row counts are not provided in the source metadata.
• License is listed as 'other-license-specified' without further detail.

Provenance

Source

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy Systems (CERES) project, NASA Langley Research Center (LARC_ASDC).

Collection Method

Satellite measurements from the CERES instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite, combined with VIIRS imagery and GEOS-5 model data.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-10 according to nasa_earthdata and datagov platforms.

Geography

Global coverage from the NOAA-20 satellite.