FLASHflux: Rapid-Release Satellite Radiative Flux and Cloud Data

NASA's CERES project provides low-latency (< 5 days) Top-of-Atmosphere and surface radiative flux estimates from the Terra satellite's FM1 instrument. The FLASHFlux SSF product combines CERES scanner data with high-resolution MODIS imagery and GEOS-5 atmospheric data for quick-look purposes. This Version 4B netCDF product is designed for applied sciences and education, with data first available from instruments launched in 1999.

Use Cases

• Monitoring short-term atmospheric energy budget changes based on Top-of-Atmosphere flux data.
• Analyzing cloud radiative effects based on combined CERES footprint and MODIS cloud property data.
• Prototyping climate model parameterizations based on rapid-release surface flux estimates.
• Educational demonstrations of Earth's radiation budget based on the CERES instrument measurements.

Strengths

• Data latency is less than 5 days from observation, enabling near-real-time analysis.
• Integrates data from multiple sources: CERES instruments, MODIS imagers, and GEOS-5 atmospheric models.
• Product lineage is from the established CERES project, a key component of NASA's Earth Observing System.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The product is not intended for climate-quality studies, as calibration accuracy requirements were relaxed for speed.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), CERES project.

Collection Method

Satellite measurements from the CERES FM1 instrument aboard the Terra spacecraft, combined with MODIS imagery and GEOS-5 ADAS data.

Time Range

Data collection began after the Terra satellite launch on December 18, 1999.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:32:56.081076; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from the Terra satellite's polar orbit.